Before a packed house at the Devil Dome, the Beefers took three of four from Dave Larson’s Taz Devils The series win gave the Beefers (24-14) a one-game lead over the Devils (23-15) with two games left for both teams….a head-to-head home-and-away series to decide the 2022 first half pennant.
The Beefers outhit the Devils .246-.230 in the four games, but the biggest difference was in OBP. The Beefs had a .342 OBP while the Devils struggled to get men on base at .288. The Beefs outhomered the Devils in the series, but only by a 9-7 count.
Marcus Semien, Max Muncy and Willson Contreras each hit two HRs for the Beefs in the series. Contreras’ home runs were his first two blasts of the season. For the Devils, Jose Altuve hit three homers in the series, including a game-winner in Game Three.
Gm 1 Beefers 3, Devils 0
Julio Urias (Beef) v Framber Valdez (Devils).
The Beefers wasted no time, scoring a pair of runs in the first off Valdez on an RBI single by Fernando Tatis and another run off a ground out double play. Both pitchers matched zeros until the sixth when back-top-back errors by Devils SS Xander Bogaerts and Valdez led to another run for the Beefs to make it 3-0.
Urias gave way to Andrew Kitteridge in the eighth and Raisel Iglesias closed for the save as the Beefers blanked the Devils 3-0.
Beef 3-7-0 W- Julio Urias 3-3.
Devils 0-4-0 L-Framber Valdez 0-1.
Gm 2 Beefers 4, Devils 3
Carlos Rodon (Beef) v Adam Wainwright (Devils).
Beefer Max Muncy homered off Wainwright in the second to start the scoring, but the Devils got to Rodon with an Aaron Judge HR in the bottom of the second and a solo shot by Yan Gomes in the third to go ahead 2-1. The Beefs regained a 3-2 lead in the seventh on a Muncy sac fly and an RBI single by Verdugo and went ahead 4-2 when Carlos Correa homered to add an insurance run in the ninth.
Altuve homered in the bottom of the ninth off Richard Bleir to make it 4-3 and Ramon Tapia followed with a double to put the tying run on base, but Raisel Iglesias came in to strand Tapia, retiring three in a row for the save.
Beef 4-9-3 W- Carlos Rodon 3-1. Sv Raisel Iglesias 4. HR Max Muncy # 7, Carlos Correa # 3.
Devils 3-8-0 L-Adam Wainwright 2-5. HR Jose Altuve # 4, Aaron Judge # 6, Yan Gome s #2.
Gm 3 Devils 7, Beefers 6
Max Scherzer (Beef) v Zack Wheeler (Devils).
The Devils prevailed in a back-and-forth rock ‘em, sock ‘em contest that was decided in the bottom of the eight on a home run by Jose Altuve.
After Alex Verdugo put the Beefs in front 1-0 in the second with an RBI double, the Devils took a 3-1 lead on a 2R HR by Starling Marte and an RBI double by Michael Brantley in the third. The Beefs then regained the lead 4-3 on a solo HR and two-run blast by Willson Contreras in the fifth, only to see the Devils tied the game at 4-4 when Altuve hit an RBI double in the bottom of the frame.
The Beefs took a 6-4 lead in the sixth on a solo HR by Semien and a sac fly by Verdugo but the Devils again fought back, raking Beef reliever Diego Castillo for four hits and two runs in the seventh, tying the game at 6-6.
In the bottom of the eighth, with Lucas Luetge on for the Beefs, Altuve hit a home run to put the Devils in front 7-6.
Garrett Whitlock, who had entered the game earlier for the Devils, promptly walked the first Beef batter, Max Muncy to start the ninth. Bo Bichette then came in a pinch-runner. After Alex Verdugo flied to left, Bichette stole second and third to put the tying run on third with only one out. Whitlock responded to the challenge by fanning Contreras and retiring A.J. Pollock on a fly ball to end a classic battle.
Beef 6-6-0 L- Lucas Luetge 0-3. HR Jose Ramirez # 9, Marcus Semian # 12.
Devils 7-11-0 W-Garrett Whitlock 3-0. HR Starling Marte # 3, Jose Altuve # 5
Gm 4 Beefers 9, Devils 4
Frankie Montas (Beef) v Lance Lynn (Devils).
Jose Altuve took Montas over the fence in the first for an early Devils lead, but the Beefs quickly rebounded, scoring four unearned runs in the second after Lynn walked leadoff man Matt Olson, hit Jose Ramirez, and then committed an error that let in a run. Lynn then up a three-run HR to Willson Contreras, his second HR in two games, to put the Beefs ahead 4-1. The Beefs added two more in the fourth on a Marcus Semien HR and an RBI double by Contreras to go ahead 6-2.
Rafael Devers delivered a two-run HR off Rodon in the sixth to cut the Beef lead to 6-4, but Max Muncy delivered a 2R HR in the eighth and Bryce Harper hit a HR in the ninth to give the Beefs a 9-4 win and put them into the league lead with only two games left
Beef 9-11-0 W- Frankie Montas 3-1. HR Marcus Semien # 13, Bryce Harper # 5, Max Muncy # 8.
Devils 4-8-0 L-Lance Lynn. HR Rafael Devers # 8, Jose Altuve # 6.