Published On: August 9th, 2024

GAME NOTES – GAMES 69-70 VS ROCHESTER

The final series of the regular season is upon us and the Duluth Huskies are welcoming the Rochester Honkers in to Wade Stadium. To answer the question, yes, the Huskies can clinch today. Read on to find out how in our five things to know and game notes packet (linked above) for the final regular season series of the year:

  1. LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies started the final four games against the Waterloo Bucks at home, picking up a split over the two game series. In game one, with steady rain falling throughout the duration of the contest, picked up a win, 3-1. Only one run scored for either side before the eighth inning, and it came on a wild pitch. The Huskies took advantage of one in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead. Huskies starter Anthony Barrera pitched well through five shutout innings. The Bucks tied it in the eighth but the walks bug bit the Bucks in bottom of the eighth and the Huskies made them pay for it to score twice and clinch the win. Game two was a seesawing, back-and-forth battle. When one team scored, the other team responded right back. It went this way until the eighth when the Huskies broke a 5-5 tie with three runs off of All-Star Bucks reliever Chaney Trout. However, in the bottom of the ninth, the walk bug bit the Huskies this time and the Bucks scored six times to turn the game upside down. The result was a win, 11-8, for the Bucks and a missed opportunity for the Huskies.
  2. CLINCHING SCENARIO: The Huskies and the Eau Claire Express are currently tied atop the Great Plains East division standings. However, the Huskies currently own the top spot in the division due to owning the head-t0-head advantage over the Express. As a result, the magic number is just two games. So, the Huskies can clinch on Friday with a win over the Honkers AND a loss by the Express to the Madison Mallards. If that happens, the Huskies will be in the postseason. Any other combination, and the race will go into tomorrow.
  3. NO HITS FOR YOU: The Duluth pitching staff has enjoyed one of the better turnarounds of any team in the Northwoods League this season. After spending much of the first half in the bottom half of the league in many pitching categories, the Huskies have made a big rise in the ranks. They rank in the top-10 of the NWL in team ERA (5.50, 9th) and have moved into the top five in oBA (.253, 5th). The oBA has seen an improvement of .012 from the .265 mark at the start of the second half, a number that ranked 15th in the league.
  4. HOWDY, HONKERS: After a tough first half, the Honkers have played much better in the second half, improving from just 12 wins in the first half to 17 here in the second half. The offense is certainly one to worry about, especially the power the Honkers possess. They have hit 74 home runs on the summer, tied for the second-most in the Northwoods League. Eleven Honkers have at least five on the summer, led by C Luca Dipaolo‘s nine home runs. The month of August has been good for the offense so far as they’ve scored 56 runs in the six games so far. A mid-half stretch losing eight of nine has put them in a precarious position right now, 1.5 back of the top two teams with two games to play. After hemorrhaging runs in the first half, the Honkers staff has enjoyed a similar turnaround to the Huskies. The team ERA sits just outside the top-10; currently they are 11th in the league. However, they still allow a lot of hits – the sixth-most in the league to be precise. How much they can navigate traffic will be a huge factor.
  5. A BIG WEEKEND AT THE WADE: It’s the final regular season series at the Wade this weekend, and the Huskies are celebrating accordingly. Friday night, the Huskies are hosting their second, and final, postgame fireworks show of the summer. That game will also see discounts on select drinks. For the regular season finale, the Huskies are hosting the 9 Innings of Winning, where the team will be handing out prizes all night long. Plus, the Huskies will be rocking the throwback Duluth Dukes jerseys. We hope that you can join us this weekend! Tickets can be found here or you can walk up and buy them at the stadium.

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