European Games of the Week
Sant Boi (6-2) - El Llano (7-1)
The top two teams in the Spanish League will battle this week as the re-tooled Sant Boi squad meets El Llano in a key weekend series.
The biggest surprise thus far, El Llano boasts the league’s best offense with 63 runs scored and a .324 batting mark. Top hitters includes Roberto Noriega (.485), Oscar Angulo (.394) and Pedro Mendez (.375).
Sant Boi is hitting .275 and is averaging a modest five runs per contest. Marc Carrillo is the leading hitter with a .469 average. He ranks second in the league with 15 hits trailing only Noriega who has 16.
El Llano pitchers have been equally impressive posting a 2.01 ERA in 67 innings with Miguel Rizo (4-0, 1.80) anchoring a staff that includes Elvis Polanco (2-0, 2.00). Albert Vargas (3-1, 1.15) is the workhorse for a Sant Boi staff that also has Yoel Hernandez (2-1) and Jose Cruz (1-0).
DOOR Neptunus (3-1) - Corendon Kinheim (3-1)
Rain cancelled Thursday’s matchup between these two Dutch heavyweights but the weekend series promises to be an exciting one. Kinheim is the reigning Dutch Major League champions while Neptunus is one of the most titled clubs in Europe.
Kinheim is led by ace pitcher David Bergman (2-0) but fellow starter Cliff Foster has struggled thus far. Patrick Beljaards (1-0) is another solid option for the defending champs.
Neptunus has a big gun as well in Leon Boyd (1-0) while Jurjen van Zijl (0-1) pitched well in a 3-1 loss to L&D Amsterdam last weekend. Closer Berry van Driel has already registered two saves this young season.
Cologne (3-0) - Solingen (5-0)
The unbeaten Cardinals will face their biggest test of the season when they meet the Solingen Alligators this weekend in North Division action of the German Baseball League.
Cologne is hitting .355 with Taishi Nakamura scorching opposing pitchers to the tune of .846 (11-13, 3 2B, 6 RBI). Another hot hitter, Sascha Steffens, is hitting .538 (7-13). However, top hitter Anderson Alvarez is hitting only .188 (3-for-16).
The Cardinals pitchers have struggled allowing 25 runs in three games while posting a 6.21 ERA. Ryo Kagami (1-0, 6.55) and Pascal Raab (1-0, 6.75) are the starters.
Solingen boasts the league’s best 1-2 pitching duo in Andre Hughes (2-0) and Enorbel Marquez-Ramirez (3-0). The pitching staff has a 0.22 ERA and has already recorded three shutouts while allowing only four runs in 41 innings.
Offensively, the Alligators have yet to hit their stride but has an abundance of hitters which includes Dustin Hughes (.471) and Christian Nsien (.444). Last year’s batting champ Dominik Wulf has yet to heat up with a .263 mark.
Danesi Nettuno (3-0) - Montepaschi Grosseto (3-0)
A rematch of last year’s Italian Baseball League finals headlines the slate of games this weekend when Nettuno meets the reigning champions from Grosseto.
Grosseto has a talented and deep pitching corps that features the ageless wonder, 41-year-old Lincoln Mikkelsen who opened the season with a no-hitter last week. Other hurlers includes Luca Panerati, Chris Cooper, Leonardo D’Amico and Riccardo De Santis.
Nettuno swept past De Angelis Godo last weekend as free agents, pitcher Nelson Cruz and infielder Frank Menechino both had impressive debuts. Top slugger Juan Camilo and talented pitchers Giovanni Carrara and Fraylin Florian are three of the top players in the league.
Bern Cardinals (2-0) - Zurich Challengers (1-3)
A rematch of last year’s Swiss League finals takes place this weekend when the Bern Cardinals travel to Zurich to battle the Challengers.
The Cards opened the season last week with two wins over a resurgent Zurich Barracudas team while the Challengers were steamrolled twice by the Lausanne Indians.
Bern has three top pitchers in Player/Coach John Baum, Severin Fries, and Christoph Beyeler. Johnny Perigo and Angelo Rodriguez leads a talented team that has won 26 of their last 27 Swiss League games.
The Challengers are a veteran team playing without confidence but has a championship pedigree as evident by their upset win over the Cards in the Swiss Cup finals. Thomas Landis, Tobias Siegrist, and Harry Bregy are the top players.
Saarlouis (3-1) - Regensburg (4-0)
The Saarlouis Hornets will face their biggest test of the young season when they meet the Martin Helmig-led Regensburg Legionaere this weekend in South Division action in the German Baseball League.
The Hornets played without their star American slugger Chris Sweeney last week against Gauting and managed only a split with the Indians. Sweeney was suspended earlier in the week by new skipper Fred Beitler who is attempting to transform the underachieving bunch from a year ago into a playoff contender.
The Legionaere were one victory away from winning the title last season but let it slip through their fingers after winning the first two games against Mainz in the championship series.
Helmig is calling the shots for the Legionaere who enter the game with a 0.79 ERA led by ace Martin Almstetter (0.90), Dutchman Mike Bolsenbroek (1-0, 1SV, 1.00), American Craig Crow (1.50), and Philipp Hoffschild (1-0, 1SV, 0.79).