Lions close disappointing first half with momentum, look to ramp up in second half
Samantha Maxwell, Londinium Courier
Nova Anglicana First Half Review
9-6 is a decent record. It is also the worst among group leaders, though not the worst among top-seeded teams. That honor belongs to The Sherpa Empire at 7-8. The sweep against Kriegiersien really hurt. Losing three games to an unranked team is something you never want to do. And it put the Lions behind the 8-ball for the entire first half. They went 9-3 the rest of the way, which is a .750 winning percentage, but had they won the series against Kriegiersien, they would be in the mix for a good playoff seed and be at least three games clear of the group, instead of just a precarious one. Let's look at just one aspect of the Lions squad to get a feel for the first half, the rotation.
#1 Cory Sharpe: 1-1, 20 IP, 4.05 ERA
#2 Wyatt Templeton: 2-1, 17.2 IP, 6.11 ERA
#3 Dan Cunningham: 1-2, 19 IP, 4.26 ERA
#4 Erik Russell: 2-1, 22 IP, 2.05 ERA
#5 Hank Jackson: 3-0, 21.2 IP, 1.66 ERA
Overall: 9-5, 100.1 IP, 3.68 ERA
Sharpe, the staff ace, has been somewhat inconsistent. In innings 1-3 of his three starts, he has an 8.00 ERA. In the other eleven innings he's pitched, he has an ERA of 0.81. Getting settled in has been a problem. Templeton continues to suffer from his first outing, where he gave up six runs in five innings against Kriegiersien. He's probably on the hot seat; if he doesn't improve, then somebody like fireman Rex Boyd or long man Aaron Spencer may get a shot in his place. Dan Cunningham's first two outings were fairly strong; he allowed three runs in seven innings against Kriegiersien, but wasn't backed up by the offense. Then he gave up just one run in seven innings in a win over Daskel. But his final outing, a loss against Anthor, saw him surrender five runs in five innings, to put a crimp in his solid overall numbers. Russell has sandwiched a putrid four innings, five runs outing against Daskel around two complete game shutouts, against Oscioru and Anthor. Jackson's WBC includes a clutch two-run double against Oscioru, and a solo home run against Anthor in a game in which he also pitched a shutout. So overall, it's been the bottom of the rotation really carrying the team. Russell and Jackson have combined for three complete-game shutouts, which have made a big difference.
Second Half Preview
The Lions will look to improve on their first half results, as if the playoffs began now, they'd be sitting at #8, facing 12th-ranked The Greater Nordics in the Round of 16, a tough draw. They open with Kriegiersien, Oscioru, and Daskel, two of those three at home. Winning the vast majority of those games is a must. I said before the Classic began that beating up on the low-ranked teams would be the key, but the Lions managed just a 5-4 record against these three. If they can go 7-2 or better, they should be set up well, even if they struggle against Anthor and West Phoenicia. A strong or weak start out of the second-half gates will likely determine whether or not this team will make the playoffs or not.
Around the Classic
Let's take a look at how the other teams around the Classic are doing, spotlight some leaders and some teams lagging behind, as well as look at the playoff picture.
Leaders
Best Record: Free Republics (12-3), Abanhfleft (12-3)
Two teams have jumped ahead of everyone else, winning a full 80% of their games: Free Republics and Abanhfleft. Abanhfleft is actually the second-seeded team in their group, but they lead top-seeded Hampton Island by two games, despite losing two of three to them in their most recent series. Look for that group-stage ending series to have a decisive effect on who wins the group. As for Free Republics, they lead The Greater Nordics by a single game in their group, and won two of three games against them in close fashion.
Other contenders: Ko-oren, Cassadaigua, Newmanistan, Banija, The Greater Nordics (11-4)
Most Runs Scored: Cassadaigua (96 runs, 6.4/game)
Cassadaigua, always a contender, three-time WBC champions, and full of strong and skilled women (which makes this writer's heart sing), are absolutely crushing the ball. At nearly 100 runs and 6.4 runs per game, they have an incredibly potent offense. It's taken them to an 11-4 record and will easily carry them into the playoffs. The question is, will it hold up against consistently good competition?
Other contenders: Newmanistan (90 runs) and The Greater Nordics (87 runs) are the only teams within ten runs of the Daiguans.
Fewest Runs Allowed: Free Republics (45 runs, 3.0/game)
Free Republics' pitching and defense has really been on point this Classic, allowing a minuscule three runs per game. The rotation of Fiedler, McIntyre, Russell, Arcuri, and Hsing have dominated the competition. Usually when you look at pro stats for these Classic teams and see absurdly low ERAs or ridiculously high HR totals, you take it with a massive grain of salt, but this is clearly a strong rotation and deserves those low ERAs.
Other contenders: South Newlandia (46 runs), Banija (47), South Covello (49)
Laggers
Worst Record: United States of Devonta (1-14)
It's been a Classic to forget for the United States of Devonta. They came into WBC 48 ranked 24th, seeded third in the group, expecting to at least have a chance for contention, but they have managed to lose 14 of 15 games played, an almost impossible stat. They really aren't this bad; look for them to turn it around and at least be respectable in the second half.
Other contenders: Equestrian States (3-12), Teyneyji (3-12)
Fewest Runs Scored: United States of Devonta (35, 2.3/game)
It makes sense that a 1-14 team would have trouble scoring runs, but this is awful. 2.3 runs per game is an atrocious number, one that perhaps reflects a true talent level of 1-14. The bats have been tremendously cold, with Devonta scoring one or no runs in nearly half of their games, seven out of fifteen.
Other contenders: Pripet Socialist Republic (45 runs) is the only team within ten runs of the Devontans.
Most Runs Allowed: Oscioru (86, 5.7/game)
Oscioru, a team that happens to share a group with the Lions, has had the worst combination of pitching and defense so far, allowing 86 runs in just 15 games. With a -26 run differential, they've been pretty lucky to just be 6-9.
Other contenders: Gekkeom 84 runs allowed, Equestrian States 83, United States of Devonta 81, Teyneyji 81
Potential Playoff MatchupsAssuming the eight group winners would be seeded 1-8, regardless of record, let's see what the playoffs might look like.
#1 Free Republics (4) vs. #16 HUELavia (47)
#2 Abanhfleft (11) vs. #15 Sarzonia (UR)
#3 Cassadaigua (2) vs. #14 Anthor (20)
#4 Newmanistan (7) vs. #13 Mushroom Kingdom (22)
#5 Banija (1) vs. #12 Hampton Island (9)
#6 Ko-oren (3) vs. #11 South Newlandia (UR)
#7 St. Saratoga (21) vs. #10 South Covello (25)
#8 Nova Anglicana (8) vs. #9 Greater Nordics (12)