Slayers claim 6th postseason berth, 5th division title
MINAS MORGUL - The Slayers put the clamps on their 5th consecutive division title this week, pushing the team to a franchise high 102 wins with 2 weeks left in the season. The previous high was 99 by the 2010 Slayers. The playoff berth is their 6th in a row, a streak running since 2009.
Leading the way on the offense is MVP candidate Firbal the Nasty. He tied a career high with 40 HR on the season and his 130 RBI is a new mark for him. He had support in the form of Petunia Gamgee. For a while, it looked like Petunia would be the offensive leader - and in terms of OPS, she is (1.005). Around that pair are flanking support such as Foxburr and his .429 OBP and the solid seasons from Nora, Sandyman, and elder statesman in Imrilron.
Of course, the Slayers usually have a good offense. It's the pitching that can be inconsistent and cause problems, but not this year. First was the performance of Badgred the Hated who didn't let contract strife stop him from doing his thing on the field. He is still the team's leader in wins. Denaumir Deneadur, however, stepped in and filled Badgred's shoes in a big way, going 7-1 with a 2.48 ERA for the Slayers. Followed by the nearly constant Kashi Darkleaf (15-6, 2.68 ERA), the Slayers kept a strong 1-2 combination at the top of the rotation. Meanwhile, solid Denema Earora and promising Foemaker helped the back end stay strong.
The bullpen is possibly the team's biggest weakness. A lot of shifting, new faces, and different style of pitcher were tried and maybe something resembling stable has finally formed. Nark Steelshaper was one of the few constants with over 100 innings of relief work while Niara Smoothflower did well to hold on to most games that ended up in her hands.
With things sewn up, the Slayers can turn an eye to trying some AAA players safely. Nurn, which just won the AAA championship, could provide fans at the major league level with some interesting faces to see. Most notable will likely be Ishanna Seladriel's farewell tour. Ishanna was a cult favorite for her wild-yet-effective pitching style, but she lost the magic on her knuckleball and ended up falling off the major league roster. The team is likely to name a new "special" player to their roster at start of next season, the 5th since Ishanna was added to the roster.
Ishanna's brief career was eventful. She was a part of the 2010 Championship team, where she was highly effective against the mighty Marauders and that's where fans started to flock to her. She followed that up with a 15-7, 3.07 ERA effort the next year, and worked in relief in 2012, picking up 16 saves and a 2.90 ERA before everything came apart for her. Her career numbers to date: 44-24, 32 saves, 3.67 ERA, 618 1/3 IP, 447 H, 439 BB, 663 K. She won a SGCBL title in 2010 and just earned a AAA title this season.