Osprey take on Voyagers to open 2009 PL Playoffs
September 11, 2009 - Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release
MISSOULA, MT - The Missoula Osprey are back in the post-season, and will open the 2009 Pioneer League North Division playoffs at home in Game 1 with the Great Falls Voyagers. That game will be Saturday at Ogren Park Allegiance Field.
The Osprey (39-36) head in as the wild-card team from the North. The Voyagers (42-33) won both the first and second-half division titles.
In the season series, the Osprey won nine of the 16 games played between the two teams, including four of eight at Centene Stadium. The Osprey were 5-3 against the Voyagers at Ogren Park Allegiance Field, but lost the last two games at home while getting shut out both times.
It will be an intriguing matchup between two teams with different strengths. Great Falls possesses a swing-and-miss pitching staff, and relies on getting timely hits from its lineup. The Osprey, meanwhile, have instant-strike capability and a staff which tends to be more successful when the ball is put in play.
Offensively, both teams are evenly matched in terms of runs scored - the Osprey have outscored the Voyagers, 90-85, in the season series - but achieve the runs in different ways.
Of the 20 home runs hit during the season series between the teams, the Osprey have 15 of them. While both main power sources have produced against the Voyagers - Paul Goldschmidt (.406 average, 3 HR, 15 RBIs, .719 slugging pct.) and Bobby Stone (.250/3/16) - it's actually designated hitter Ramon Castillo who leads the team with four home runs. Raywily Gomez leads the Osprey with a .417 batting average against Great Falls.
The Voyagers have three batters who have made their impression against Missoula this season - Ryan Hamme (.372, 0, 5), Rob Cummings (.370, 0, 10) and Johny Celis, who has a team-leading .396 batting average against the Osprey with a home run and 10 RBIs.
The best pitching matchup of the series could be in Game 1, when Terry Doyle (5-1, 2.98 ERA) matches up with Mike Belfiore (2-2, 2.17) in a battle of staff aces. Start time for the game is set for 7:05, with gates opening at Ogren Park Allegiance Field at 6 p.m.
Belfiore has been one of the aces of the Osprey staff since becoming a starter in July. The supplemental 1st-round pick from Boston College has not disappointed, especially against the Voyagers. In his two starts, Belfiore allowed six hits, allowed a walk and struck out 12 in 10 innings of work against Great Falls.
On the other side, the right-handed-throwing Doyle has been more than up to the task. He has a 2-0 mark in four appearances against the Osprey, with five earned runs allowed in 20 2/3 innings striking out 31 batters while allowing just six walks and 18 hits. In his last start in Missoula on August 25, he allowed the only home run he has served up this season.
In Sunday's Game 2 in Great Falls, which will begin at 6 p.m., the Osprey will hand the ball to Charles Brewer (7-2, 2.47). Brewer has allowed 10 runs, but only four earned, in his three starts against the Voyagers, spanning 13 innings. He will face off with Great Falls left-hander Matt Wickswat (2-2, 3.84), who has struck out 24 Osprey in 16 2/3 inning. In three starts, Wickswat has three no-decisions and a 3.78 ERA.
If there is a Game 3, it will take place at Centene Stadium on Monday at either 6 or 7 p.m., with the Osprey sending out right-hander Chase Anderson (3-1, 2.38) against Voyagers right-hander Joucer Martinez (3-4, 4.44). Anderson lost the last start he made against the Voyagers - allowing just a run on four hits and a walk on September 5 - but has fanned 16 batters in 17 2/3 innings pitched, going 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA against Great Falls. Martinez has not been as successful against the Osprey, posting a 1-1 mark with a 6.75 ERA in three starts.
Tickets for the September 12 playoff game can be obtained by calling the Osprey at (406) 543-3300, stopping by the Osprey Team Store at 412 W. Alder, or ordering online at www.missoulaosprey.com.
Pioneer League Stories from September 11, 2009
- Osprey rally to win in 10 over Brewers, 9-7 - Missoula PaddleHeads
- Osprey take on Voyagers to open 2009 PL Playoffs - Missoula PaddleHeads
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