16 days until the season begins: Like it warm for baseball?
There are 16 games scheduled at Jerry Uht Park this season in August and the beginning of September.
The Altoona Curve and Akron Aeros are on the schedule. The ‘Wolves close the season with four games against the Bowie Baysox.
– Rick Green (follow me @ETNrgreen)
25 days to go: The SeaWolves have one of their longest stretches of the season from July 11 through Aug. 4.
They have 25 games scheduled over those 25 games.
The stretch includes 11 games at the Uht — four against Harrisburg, three against Richmond and four against Bowie.
– Rick Green (follow me @ETNrgreen)
MLB.com writer Jonathan Mayo is releasing the Top 10 prospects by position every day over the next week. The right-handed pitching prospects were released recently with four of the top 10 pitching in the Eastern League last year. Dylan Bundy in the Baltimore Orioles organization is the No. 1 prospect among right-handed pitchers. He was 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three starts with the Bowie Baysox in 2012.
Zack Wheeler (New York Mets) is No. 4 along with No. 5 Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh Pirates) and No. 6 Jameson Taillon (Pittsburgh Pirates). Wheeler went 10-6 with a 3.26 ERA for the Binghamton Mets, while Cole and Taillon were teammates for the Altoona Curve. Cole was 3-6 with a 2.90 ERA for the Curve and Taillon made only three starts for Altoona but went 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA.
Click here for the list of right-handed pitching prospects. None of the Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects competed in the Eastern League in 2012.
–Tom Reisenweber
The Akron Aeros forced a fifth and deciding game in their Eastern League playoff series against the Bowie Baysox Saturday.
Akron, the Western Division champion, edged the wild-card Baysox 2-1 at Canal Park. The Aeros will have the chance to rally from an 0-2 series defecit if they can beat Bowie in Sunday’s 7:05 p.m. finale.
Trenton remained up 2-1 in its Eastern Division series against Reading when Saturday’s fourth game was postponed by poor weather. The scheduled first pitch for Sunday’s game wasn’t immediately listed by the league.
– Mike Copper
Friday night saw Akron remain alive in its best-of-five Eastern League playoff series against Bowie, while Trenton moved to the brink of eliminating Reading.
The Aeros scored all of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of a 4-3 Western Division series victory at Canal Park. The wild-card Baysox still maintain a 2-1 series advantage going into Saturday’s fourth game.
The Thunder scored twice in the bottom of the eighth for their 3-1 Eastern Division win over the Phillies at Waterfront Park. The division titlists can advance to next week’s championship round with a third victory.
– Mike Copper
The Bowie Baysox are one game away from sweeping their Western Division final against Akron, while Trenton evened its Eastern Division series vs. Reading after Thursday’s Eastern League playoff action.
Caleb Joseph had a solo home run for one of his three hits in Bowie’s 7-5 victory over the Aeros at Prince George’s Stadium. Akron must sweep the series’ last three games at Canal Park to advance to next week’s championship series.
Trenton salvaged a split at FirstEnergy Stadium with its 4-1 victory over the Phillies. Addison Maruszak totaled two hits, two runs scored and a homer for the New Jersey franchise, which hosts that series’ remaining three games at Waterfront Park.
– Mike Copper
Wednesday saw wild-card qualifiers Reading and Bowie claim the first games of their respective Eastern League playoff series by the same score.
Reading, aided by solo home runs from Jake Fox, Tommy Joseph and Leandro Castro, doubled up the Eastern Division champion Trenton Thunder 4-2 in their best-of-five opener at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Bowie also beat Western Division winner Akron by that same final at Prince George’s Stadium. Rhyne Hughes, Ty Kelly and Ronnie Welty each homered for the Baysox.
The series continue Thursday at those same sites.
– Mike Copper
The Erie SeaWolves released their official 2013 Eastern League schedule before Saturday night’s game against the Altoona Curve at Jerry Uht Park.
Coincidence or not, those teams also will open next season on the same diamond. Erie welcomes the Curve for the first four games of a seven-game homestand, with the opener set for April 4 at 6:35 p.m.
Erie’s full 2013 schedule, with starting times for all games at Uht Park, is listed below.
– Mike Copper
No team in the Eastern League’s Western Division enjoyed more success against the Erie SeaWolves this season than Bowie.
How appropriate the Baysox secured a playoff berth against them.
Bowie, which finished 14-7 against Erie, celebrated its first spot in the postseason since 2008 with Thursday’s 8-6 victory at Prince George’s Stadium. The Baysox (75-62) will play the first-place Akron Aeros when the league semifinals begin next week.
The SeaWolves were a league-worst 57-80 after their final road game of 2012. Erie concludes its long season with Friday’s opener of a four-game series against Altoona at Jerry Uht Park.
– Mike Copper
The Bowie Baysox could still clinch an Eastern League postseason berth at the Erie SeaWolves’ expense.
Erie, though, made sure it wasn’t Wednesday night.
The SeaWolves’ 9-4 victory at Prince George’s Stadium not only ended their seven-game losing streak against the Maryland franchise, but left the Baysox’s magic number at one. Bowie had a chance to claim the second playoff berth out of the league’s Western Division.
Erie goes into its last road game of 2012 with an overall record of 57-79, while second-place Bowie is 74-62.
– Mike Copper
