1998 CDBL MID-SEASON PLAYOFF RACE REVIEW IF THE PLAYOFFS WERE HELD TODAY: Aaron Division Pennant - California Kamados Paige Division Pennant - Madison Muckrakers Gehrig Division Pennant - Encinitas Surfers Tiant Division Pennant - Avila Dragons AP Conference Wildcard - Point Lomas Friars GT Conference Wildcard - Dedham Destroyers League Wildcard #1 - Albuquerque Maul League Wildcard #2 - Alphaville Cautions Other teams in contention - Manhatten Beach Mashers (0.0 games out) - DBL Fishbiscuits (1 game out) - Hong Kong Cavaliers (1.5 games out) - Arkham Investigators (1.5 games out) - Chicago Outlaws (2.5 games out) - Springfield Isotopes (3.5 games out) - Seattle Decaf (4 games out) ************************************ Aaron Division Race - The Kamados (60-22) are having their best season ever, and have a commanding 15 1/2 game lead in the Aaron division. Eric Davis has 16 home runs, 51 runs scored and 60 RBI, while centerfielder Brian McRae is hitting .299 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI. Early season acquisition Mo Vaughn has been stellar, hitting .357 in 38 games with 12 home runs and 42 RBI. Omar Daal is 11-2 with a 2.15 ERA and Jamie Moyer is 12-3 with a 3.00 ERA. Closer Mike Williams has a miniscule 1.19 ERA with 20 saves. The Friars (42-38) don't have much hope for the Aaron division pennant, but they do have a hold of the AP wildcard at the moment. Greg Vaughn has had a monster season, hitting 37 home runs with 73 runs scored and 79 RBI. Jason Giambi is hitting .342 with 53 runs scored and 54 RBI, while Eric Young has swiped 25 bases with 50 runs scored. Starter Mark Gardner is 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA, and closer Ricardo Rincon has saved 14 games with a 1.47 ERA. The Mashers (46-39) are on the cusp of the playoffs. Mark McGwire is having a monster year, hitting .332 with 47 home runs, 76 runs scored and 95 RBI. Todd Walker is hitting .294 with 50 runs scored, and Brant Brown is hitting .307 with 13 home runs and 53 RBI. Sean Bergman is 9-5 with a 2.51 ERA, while closer Jim Corsi has saved 14 games with a 2.63 ERA. The Investigators (44-40) are in the hunt for a playoff spot as well. Ken Griffey Jr has 22 home runs with 72 RBI, and Matt Lawton is hitting .334 with 64 runs scored and 51 RBI. Starter Francisco Cordova is 12-6 with a 2.92 ERA, and Tom Gordon has saved 20 games with a 2.25 ERA. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Portland Commanders, Elk Grove Trout ************************************ Paige Division Race - The Madison Muckrakers (55-30) have jumped out to a strong 10 game lead. Manny Ramirez has been on fire, hitting .305 with 30 home runs, 64 runs scored and 81 RBI. Andruw Jones has hit 20 home runs with 64 RBI, while Ivan Rodriguez has contributed 51 RBI from the catcher's spot. David Wells has gone 8-3 with a 2.60 ERA, and Rolando Arrojo is 10-4 with a 3.53 ERA. Tim Wakefield and Eric Milton are both 9-3. Closer Billy Taylor has been lights out, going 6-1 with 21 saves and a tiny 1.35 ERA. The DBL Fishbiscuits (45-40) have been showing that the best defense is a good offense, leading the league in runs scored and (almost) in runs given up. Sammy Sosa has 35 home runs and 103 RBI, Larry Walker is hitting .344 with 87 runs scored, Craig Biggio has a .442 on base average and 87 runs scored, Jim Thome has 24 home runs and 67 RBI, and Gary Sheffield has a .392 on base average and 64 runs scored. Veteran Cal Ripken Jr is hitting .225, but thanks to the talent surrounding him still has 42 RBI. Pete Harnisch is 10-5 with a 3.22 ERA, and Masato Yoshii has won 8 games. They are on the outside of the playoffs at the moment, but not by much, and are still very much contenders. The Chicago Outlaws (42-40) and Springfield Isotopes (42-42) are on the edge of the playoff race. Vladimir Guerrero has 23 home runs and 82 RBI for the Outlaws, while Barry Bonds has 25 home runs, 69 runs scored and 64 RBI for the Isotopes. The Seattle Decaf (42-43) started out strong but has waned in recent weeks. Closer Mike Jackson has 23 saves and a 2.27 ERA for Seattle. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Tualatin Thunder ************************************ Gehrig Division Race - The Encinitas Surfers (48-35) lead their division with pitching. Greg Maddux is 9-4 with a 3.22 ERA, and Mike Mussina is 7-4 with a 3.53 ERA. Kevin Brown has a respectable 3.38 ERA and an 8-8 record. Closer Doug Brocail is among the league leaders in saves with 18, but his 5.06 ERA is fairly high for a closer. 1B Andres Galarraga has smacked 19 home runs with 54 runs scored and 70 RBI, while Ellis Burks has 12 home runs and 51 RBI. Quilvio Veras has a .363 on base average, 19 swiped bases and 52 runs scored. The Albuquerque Maul (45-38) are not too far behind, just 3 games back. John Smoltz has been stellar, going 9-3 with a 2.34 ERA. Closers Xavier Hernandez and early season acquisition John Wetteland have combined to save 23 games. Rickey Henderson has 45 stolen bases, a .357 on base average and 60 runs scored. Dean Palmer has smacked 24 home runs with 59 RBI, and Will Clark and Albert Belle have combined to drive in 111 runs so far. The Hong Kong Cavaliers (43-39) are the third team in contention in the division, just 4 1/2 games behind. The team has a lot of pop, with Vinny Castilla, Roberto Kelly, Matt Stairs and Carlos Delgado each smacking at least 16 home runs at the break. Darren Bragg has 54 runs so far. Jon Lieber is 8-3 with a 3.17 ERA, and pitcher extraordinaire Pedro Martinez is 9-8 with a 3.43 ERA. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Anchorage Gold Diggers, Concord Minutemen, Topeka Stingers ************************************ Tiant Division Race - The Avila Dragons (50-32) are an elite team this year, but face stiff competition in the Tiant division. Alex Rodriguez is on the upside of his career, hitting 21 home runs with 60 runs scored and 77 RBI. OF Jim Edmonds is hitting .345 with 60 runs scored and 63 RBI, while Brady Anderson sports a .384 on base percentage, 17 stolen bases and 48 runs scored. Jason Schmidt's ERA is up at 4.76, but with run support he has a 10-2 record. Roger Clemens is 7-5 with a 4.53 ERA. Ramon Martinez was 7-2 with a 3.76 ERA before burning out for the season. The Dedham Destroyers (49-33) are just 1 game behind in the Tiant Division. IF Damian Easley is hitting .300 with 14 home runs, 45 runs scored and 47 RBI. 1B Todd Helton is hitting .314 with 55 runs scored and 48 RBI, while Rondell White is hitting .329 with 42 runs scored. Starter Dustin Hermanson is 9-5 with a 2.78 ERA and Jose Lima is 9-5 with a 4.11 ERA. Closers Donne Wall and Vic Darensbourg have combined to save 26 games. The Alphaville Cautions (45-38) have had a strong first half, thanks to their league leading pitching staff with a league best 3.37 ERA. Wilson Alvarez is 8-5 with a 2.95 ERA, Kerry Wood is 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA, and Kent Bottenfield is 7-2 with a 2.16 ERA. Danny Graves has saved 14 games with a 3.65 ERA. OF Shannon Stewart has stolen 22 bases and scored 51 runs, while Shane Andrews has smacked 18 home runs with 43 runs scored. BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: Toronto Royals, Boston Bulldogs, San Diego Rude Dawgs