Tatis-Soto-Bogaerts HR & 10-17; 1st Rainout & 1st 2 Sweeps

 Unbelievable. We noted last game our Statis-Pro season started with 16 games without a single 5-run "sweep." Then we had two in a row. 

Average so far - 2 of 18 games = 5-run "Sweeps." Average runs/gm 4.1. Average start, 5 1/3 innings, 2.95 ERA. Click for game-by-game.

Arizona had the home game first, and in their hitters park jumped on Joe Musgrove and a reliever. In the bottom of the 5th Evan Longoria hit a 2-run double to extend the DBacks lead to 8-3, and the next play was a Z-plays rainout. It was already an official game, and the 5-run lead meant we count it as a 3-game sweep for the DBacks.

In the ultimate pitchers park in San Diego for the second game (only 11 is a homer on a deep drive), You Darvish threw 5 innings with only one unearned run allowed and the Padres powered to an 8-2 win to claim their own sweep to make the entire series 3 games to 3.

After Josh Hader's previous team the Brewers blew a sweep and a the whole game by giving up 6 runs into he 9th, Harder threw a scoreless 9th to complete the sweep.

The Padres new powerful lineup was lead by the 1-2 and 4 hitters of Fernando Tatis, Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts who all three homered and went a combined 10 of 17.

Tatis' homer.was the longest of the year based on it being his 9th homer, which we tally as being getting up toward the 500 foot mark.

The Padres seem to have the best cards and line-up for both our Statis-Pro season and the real MLB season, but they are 6-6 in our league and 9-10 in real baseball.

Reminder Note: To play our own Statis-Pro Baseball games, click and print the batters cards here, then these pitchers' cards and finally the Statis-Pro rules which will have everything you need to play. Also note that we had one error in earlier notes - the adjustments listed at the bottom of some pitcher cards to the batters they face (changing a HR to Out or vice versa) must be used every time they pitch, not just in road games as previously listed. You may notice this season that our blogs are picked up by https://www.baseball-reference.com/ so when a player is mentioned you can link for their stats by clicking.

Greatest Statis-pro game of year kicks off Padres hosting 1st Place LA and MIL

Only those who play the free Statis-Pro Baseball will understand the thrills that went into the plays at the plate, deep drives and other plays that went into the beginning of the Padres season ending home stand against the two 1st place teams - the Dodgers and Brewers.

The game ended on a "37" on Fernando Tatis' card, the first in his strike-out range as a 35 or 36 would have been a DEEP drive and potential game-tying homer to force a 13th inning.

As a result the Dodgers move with a 1/2 game of the Brewers for the crucial first round bye, and the Padres move a half game behind the Reds and Cardinals for the final wild card spot, so would miss the playoffs by a half game if the season ended today (see standings below).

Scherzer pitched a dominant 7.1 innings of four hit ball and left after walking Tatis with the Dodgers leading 2-1. Darvish had fought through a lot more pressure by inducing four double play grounders in the first five innings to keep it close.

Tatis stole and scored on a Machado single, and then Grisham singled. However, the bottom of the 8th inning ended on a Clutch Defensive opportunity for Dodgers SS Seager to determine if a go-ahead single went through the infield, he knocked it down for a and got a force out, or he made a diving catch and doubled the lead runner off. As a Clutch Defense 5 (the highest, 1-5) he made the diving catch to end the inning with the score tied 2-2. This is only fair since in the top of the 8th with Seager at the plate he smashed a ball up the middle that 2nd baseman Frazier (a Clutch Defense 5 traded for from the Pirates) likewise made a diving play) to keep the Dodgers from being ahead.

With Bellinger starting the top of the 10th, Trea Turner singled him to third and then stole second. Betts then beat out a grounder to short to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead, and then Betts stole 2nd to put 2nd and 3rd with no outs. However, Adams (PB: 2-9, the best) struck out Muncy and Smith, and then induced a pop foul by Pollock to keep it there. 

And then Mookie Betts took over in extra innings. In right field he gunned out the game-winning run at home in both the 10th and 11th inning, first nailing Marisnik trying to score from second on a single and then Machado trying to tag and score on a deep fly ball. Machado would have scored to win the game on an 11-41 (better chance than of getting a 2-out hit), and out at the plate on a 42-88, and Betts drew a 43 to barely beat him.

Bellinger hit a DEEP drive that could have won the games in extras. A deep drive leaves the Padres Stadium on a random number of 11-34, and is a deep flyout on a 35-88. Bellinger drew a 38, out of most parks.

In the 12th he singled Bellinger home, stole second, and scored himself on a Muncy single for the 5-3 win. 

Quick method to track pitching rotations and available relievers in board games

This video shows a method for keep your player cards together for any table top baseball game.

The game I had just finished was the Padres 2-game domination of the Nats to catch the Dodgers in my early Statis-Pro Baseball season. However it can just as easily be used by those who play APBA, Strat-o-matic, the more Advanced Statis-Pro game or any other baseball Board game.

Below is the 2-game series I just finished, by far the highest scoring series of my season which also included my first homer by a pitcher on a random number of "18" for Corbin on the Nats.