Unfortunately this is going to be mainly from memory as apparently I don't know how to save boxscores with all the detail.....
Game 1: Gonzalez vs Marquez
Maybin would lead the game off with a single only to get caught stealing (20 roll on 1-19 safe chance). Undeterred Blanco and Posey followed up with singles followed by an Arenado error on a DP chance ground ball from Smoak scoring a run. Some how Marquez limited the damage to one run but Redwood was off and running literally, which would be a general theme in this series. Redwood would add another run in the 2nd and Maybin added to his hot day with a HR in the 4th. Notice I'm not saying much about Camden's offense because their wasn't much, Gio gave up a solo shot to Arenado in the 4th but the Redwood pitching staff cruised the rest of the way. Redwood added another run in the 8th of a Marisnick single and SB, scoring on a Rojas hit. RDW 4-1
Game 2: Tomlin vs Walker
Camden would score first on back to back blasts from Davis and Maxwell in the second, then tacked on 3 more runs in the 5th on HRs from Bell and Russell. A Maybin triple put Redwood on the board in the 6th. A bases clearing triple by Thompson in the 8th off Madson would bring Redwood to within 1 of tying the game. With Kimbrel on in the 9th to close the game he would retire the 1st batter before a Russell error on Blanco's ground ball would give Redwood hope. Per the norm Blanco would easily steal 2nd. Kimbrel retired PH Goodwin before he uncorked a wild pitch to move Blanco to 3rd. On would come Smith to try and tie the game. Smith drove the ball up the middle but somehow Kimbrel was able to get a glove on it (x chance 3e0) to end the game. CMD 5-4
Game 3: Taillon vs Anderson
This ones easy, a Maybin double and Blanco single in the 1st would be all the scoring there was.... Anderson shuts out Camden giving up 3 hits and 1 walk. RDW 1-0
Game 4: Bumgarner vs Gonzalez
A Smoak HR in the 2nd gave Redwood the early lead. Bumgarner got in trouble in the 3rd and was pulled for Albers who got out of the jam before giving up his own run in the 4th. Gonzalez would run into trouble in the 7th with no help by an Arcia error. With Swarzak on to try and get out of the jam Josh Bell doubled plating 2 runs, tying the game. Camden would go up in the 8th scoring a run off Swarzak. Redwood answered in their half of the 8th tying the game with a run off Madson. On to the 9th, Yelich put Camden back ahead with a leadoff solo shot off Parker. Madson would stay on to close out the game. CMD 4-3
Game 5: Montgomery vs Marquez
Not much to note in this game either besides strat allowing Camden to score 4 runs on nasty throwing errors from Redwood outfielders (e6 and e9). Marquez and the bullpen shut out Redwood. CMD 7-0
Game 6: Cashner vs Walker
Camden would strike first plating 2 runs in the 2nd inning off a Maxwell double. Walker would run into trouble in the 3rd, with 2 runners on and 2 outs Camden would bring in Madson to face Blanco who promptly tied the game with a double. Camden regained the lead in the 5th off a Gordon SF. The score would remain 3-2 heading into the top of the 9th. Camden would bring in Kimbrel to try and finish the game and send Camden to its first WS appearance in team history. After getting the first out Kimbrel walked Thompson who was pinch run for by Hernandez. Hernandez wasted no time stealing 2nd and moving to 3rd on a Kimbrel WP. With 1 out and the tying run on 3rd Kimbrel issued another walk this time to Schimpf. Goodwin was brought into PR for Schimpf. Arcia came to the plate looking to tie the game with 1 out and runners on the corners, he grounded back to Kimbrel who would throw Hernandez out at home. Down to their last out with runners on 1st and 2nd Redwood brought in Smith to PH. Kimbrel would win the battle as he would strike out Smith sealing Camden's spot in the WS. CMD 3-2
Great team and series by Rick, he didn't get many rolls or good bounces in this series. He definitely did a great job this season building and playing his two teams, both reaching the division championship. And of special note knocking out the much maligned Surprise and Santa Fe teams!!
Congratulations to Rick on his epic giant-killing playoff run! We'll see if you have any magic left for SF@EGR...
Congratulations to Travis for saving us from a potential Rick vs. Rick WS and for reaching it for the first time with your other team. It would be ironic or at least amusing if Camden succeeded where Harmony Grove suffered so many tragic failures. However, it is a shame that this championship would come with an asterisk. We obviously can't consider a team that didn't defeat SFE or SUR/LAR to be a true ARBA champion, unless of course it is one of those teams. This will be the first ARBA WS since 2010 that didn't feature SFE or SUR. KC won that year after upsetting SUR and triggering one of its rare rebuilding periods. It's possible that there were a couple exceptions to the rule when the CL won in 2009 and 2007, but it was back in effect from 2000-2006 and 2-3 of the seasons before that. Damn, this rule is even more powerful than I realized before checking the history. It's no wonder that we're much maligned!
Congratulations to Travis on a great season, and a great playoff victory in earning a trip to the World Series. Redwood just couldn't overcome the heroics of, yes, Bruce Maxwell!!! He will now haunt my dreams.
Its should be a great battle between two really good guys with really strong teams. I guess I'm part of history now as my loss sends CMD to its first World Series appearance. But what I want to know is, am I also first in ARBA history to have two teams both LOSE in the LCS? Ah, the sweet recognition of utter failure!
Redwood and San Francisco will now go hibernate in its misery.
Just because I'm a big stat guy, in looking at my loss against Camden, these ones really stand out!
As a team, we hit just .184 for the series, scoring just 14 totals runs in 6 games. Tough to win that way. The biggest culprits were:
Justin Smoak - My cleanup hitter hit .105 with just 2 RBI's.
Ryan Schimpf - Went 0-14 in the series. He walked 8 times, but did not score or drive in a run.
Orlando Arcia - Hit .048, as he went 1 for 21 with no walks, and had 2 big errors. That is pathetic.
Trayce Thompson - Hit .111 (2 for 19).
My 4-5-6 hitters (Smoak, Thompson, Schimpf) combined to go 4 for 51 (.078), scored just 2 runs, and knocked in 4. During the regular season, those 3 combined for 119 HR's...in the six game series, we hit 2!
The MVP for CMD has to be the incomparable Bruce Maxwell. He hit .500 with 3 doubles and a homer, leading the team with 6 RBI's. Okay, i'm done now, I'm gonna go sulk in the corner.
