Numbers

Last night the Rivercats defeated the Fresno Grizzlies 8-3 and the Tuscon Sidewinders were rained out in Tacoma. That leaves the Sidwinders 5 games up.

But the rest of the season becomes interesting. Tuscon has 14 remaining games - six of those are at home including two back to back double headers (tonight and tomorrow) against Tacoma. We have 12 more games - four more against the Grizzlies, all away and then four against Tuscon in Sacramento and then four against the Sky Sox (there) who actually, because of the relative poppiness of the field in Colorado Springs, have a worse record at home. (43% vs. 47%)

The Cats have had a pretty good season against the Grizzlies. They have won 9 straight against them and dominate both the season standings between the two clubs and the lifetime record. They have been 31 of 41 for the games after the All Star break. But Tuscon cannot be discounted. They have played a very strong season.

At the end of the season, the Sidewinders have won an unbelievable 66% at home. Their away percentage is 55%. Sacramento, owing to a pretty lousy streak at the start of the season has a worse percentage at home (43%) than away (57%). Tuscon's magic number stands at 9. The games next week at Raley Field could be very important for both clubs. The Raniers, by the way, are 4 1/2 games behind Salt Lake. The Bees are mostly at home against Colorado Springs, Tacoma and they end against the Portland Beavers.