A quiet weekend of baseball and softball in France. It seems that when the MLB comes to Europe, baseball takes a backseat. This weekend’s schedule includes two makeup matchdays for baseball’s Division 1 and 2, and the 7th round of the championship for Division 1 women’s softball.
Division 1 Baseball
Two postponed matches that couldn’t be played on schedule.
First, Savigny hosts the Cavigal de Nice at the Limeil-Brevannes field. The latter still haven’t managed to secure a single win in this championship. They already know they’ll be playing in Division 2 next year. They’ll use these remaining Division 1 matches to gain experience and come back stronger in the coming years. Savigny should be able to climb back up to Montpellier’s level at the top of Pool B.
Predictions: Two wins for Savigny
Next, a match between Rouen and the PUC. The last encounter saw the Huskies stunned by their first (and only) loss for the PUC in this championship. The Huskies are in dire straits, worse than they’ve ever been in many years. Their latest setback was losing the last two matches against Montigny for failing to respect lineup rules. Indeed, a player not on the list of 30 was marked on the lineup, though he didn’t play, leading the sports commission to award the victory to Montigny. The Rouennais have appealed the decision. Depending on the outcome, the current standings could change. Regardless, it’s absolutely crucial for the Rouen pack to bounce back and secure two wins against Paris. This would allow them to tie for second place in the standings with Montigny. The PUC also knows they’ll be relegated to Division 2 next year. Historically, this is also an anomaly in the alignment of teams in France’s Division 1.
Predictions: Two wins for Rouen
Division 2 Baseball
Valenciennes hosts the Rouen Huskies. At least one win would secure Valenciennes the top spot in the standings ahead of Sénart. If Rouen wins both of their matches, the standings will tie the two teams, leaving Sénart ahead. A split between the two teams allows Valenciennes to take the lead and Rouen remains third.
Division 1 Women’s Softball
The first-place team (Grenoble) faces the last-place team (Nice). The second-place team (Clappiers) hosts the third-place team (Saint Raphael), and the fourth-place team (Evry) faces Paris. This is the 7th round, with three more to go until September. The standings could change in the middle of the table, except for the clash between third and second place. Indeed, the first and last places should remain (respectively Grenoble and Nice). Clappiers have the most to lose if they don’t win both of their games this weekend.
MLB: Cardinals vs. Cubs
Watch on Bein France for French commentary or on mlb.com as usual. The first match is Saturday at 7:10 PM (UK time) and the second on Sunday at 4:10 PM. The Cubs are third in the Central League and the Cardinals are last in their pool. Clearly, this isn’t the most exciting matchup, but the buzz will work well on the other side of the Channel and resonate a bit in France without significantly shifting the lines of French institutional sports communication.
