Play-offs
The great turnaround?
Savigny-La Rochelle
2-0 for Savigny, 2-0 for Rouen. If the Las Vegas bookmakers were interested in French baseball, the odds of La Rochelle and Montpellier qualifying would be at their lowest. But we know the drill: a game is never over, a qualification is never secured, until the final out. In survival mode, the Buccaneers and Barracudas have nothing left to lose. They can throw everything they’ve got into the fight, battle every pitch, to win one inning, then another, then the first game. And then, maybe everything could still be possible. Will we see a weekend of confirmation or an unbelievable turnaround, as unbelievable as what happened in Rouen last Sunday? We look at the possibilities to believe or not to believe…
Savigny – La Rochelle
We believe
Because La Rochelle will give it their all and not let go.
Because Nieves won’t give up 10 hits again and will get his team back into the series.
Because the danger can come from several players.
Because the Buccaneers have found their competitive rhythm.
We don’t believe
Because the Lions master their craft and seem fearless, even when trailing on the scoreboard.
Because their line-up is impressive, especially from 1 to 7.
Because Savigny, who are on a 12-0 run, won’t suddenly drop to 12-3.
Because the Lions have more depth in the bullpen and Paredes hasn’t started yet.
The trend: Savigny qualified at 95%
Montpellier – Rouen
We believe
Because Montpellier could very well lead 2-0. The pick-off on Doat in game 1 and Guiraud’s error in game 2 cost the Barracudas dearly. But if they came so close to achieving it, why not do it at home, in the heat of Veyrassi, where Rouen has never been entirely comfortable.
Because Canelon and Nayral dominated the Rouen offense and there’s no reason it won’t happen again.
Because the Soriano-Anderson duo seems to be getting into gear (4 in 9 and 6 RBI in game 2)
Because rebellion must surely be brewing in the minds of Coach Mayeur’s men.
We don’t believe
Because beating Rouen three times in a weekend is a miracle.
Because if it comes to a game 5, the Huskies have bullpen depth that should make the difference.
Because Gomez will want to show his elder that he’s the best of the two Venezuelans.
Because the Huskies are used to handling this kind of pressure.
The trend
Rouen qualified at 85%
Play-downs
For the older among us, NUC-PUC was the must-see matchup. In the 70s and 80s, there were ten championship finals that pitted these two teams against each other. Times have changed and now they’re fighting to survive at the highest level. It’s been coming for the PUC for a few seasons now. And Nice has never really convinced either. The Nice side has the edge in stats: .231 batting average and 6.50 ERA against .199 and 9.09. But Teramura wasn’t at Pershing, and if his absence is confirmed, that changes everything. Their hopes will rest on the shoulders of Montas, who was again outstanding last weekend. For the Parisians, Khemache brings some stability to the mound, and Rodriguez remains a dangerous hitter. This could all end in 5 games, and given the lack of depth in the bullpen of both teams, it could be a high-scoring affair.
Classification matches
These matches don’t have much interest, except to determine the final standings and thus the composition of the pools for the 2023 France Challenge.
Metz took advantage of Sénart’s relaxation to pull off a great performance and finish their season in style. Although beaten twice, Montigny ultimately won, as French baseball loves these green-tape reversals. On paper, the Cougars should prevail, but motivation may not be at its best, so why not another great performance from the Cometz?
The Templiers are finishing the season in cruise control (by the way, where has Shane Priest been, absent from the mound for a while) and Toulouse should be able to take advantage, if this time the paperwork is in order.
François Colombier
