EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Akron Aeros vs. Portland Sea Dogs


(Best-of-five)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES

Akron won six of the eight games played between the two teams, taking
three-of-four games played in Portland in July and doing the same at
home two weeks ago. The Aeros outscored the Sea Dogs, 45-21, in the
series and had a team ERA (2.28) that was nearly half that of
Portland's (4.30).

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS

Akron
The Aeros' starters went 5-2 with a 2.11 in 47 innings. Take away
Ronald Bay's effort (he allowed five earned runs in six innings), and
the Akron starters had a 1.32 ERA in the series. Dan Denham, Jake
Dittler, Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers each notched victories with
Denham, Sowers and Brian Slocum not allowing any earned runs in their
starts. The 'pen had a 2.63 ERA in the series. The Aeros were balanced
offensively with four players hitting .314 or better. Eider Torres
(.314, 11 hits, three steals, four RBIs), Pat Osborn (.333, nine hits,
three RBIs), Brad Snyder (.381, two doubles, two triples, a homer and
three RBIs) and Ivan Ochoa (.381, three RBIs) were the leaders.

Portland
The Sea Dogs' starters were 2-6 with a 4.90 ERA in the series but
those numbers are deceptive. Jon Lester started two games, went 1-1
and had a 1.69 ERA while Kason Gabbard won his only start and didn't
allow a run in six innings. Anibal Sanchez lost both his starts and
had a 9.39 ERA while David Pauley lost his only start, allowing five
runs in five innings. The Portland bullpen was much more balanced,
posting a 3.58 ERA. David Murphy had a homer and six RBIs but he only
hit .179. Hanley Ramirez had a homer and four RBIs but he, too, hit
only .179. Scott Youngbauer hit .364 and Alberto Concepcion hit .333
but Portland's on-base percentage in the eight games was .284.

ON THE MOUND

Akron
Jeremy Sowers will get the nod in the opener in what should be a dandy
of a matchup as he faces Portland ace Jon Lester. Sowers allowed three
runs on four hits over six innings to beat Altoona in the semifinal
opener, striking out six and walking three. The former first-round
pick went 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 starts for Aeros during the
regular season and was a combined 14-4 with a 2.37 ERA at Kinston,
Akron and Buffalo. He has 155 strikeouts and 42 walks in 170 innings
(playoffs included) and hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in
a game since June 22. Rafael Perez will get the start in Game 2
against Anibal Sanchez. Perez started Game 3 of the semis and didn't
pitch poorly, allowing three runs on six hits over six innings. But he
took the loss when Altoona's Tom Gorzelanny pitched a complete-game,
four-hit shutout. Perez was 4-3 during the regular season with a 1.76
ERA for Akron. Brian Slocum will start the third game. He pitched well
in the second game of the semis, allowing one run on four hits over 5
2/3 innings but got a no-decision when the bullpen couldn't hold the
lead. The former second-round pick hasn't lost since June 23. Jake
Dittler (10-9, 3.64) and Tom Mastny (1-1, 2.18) are slated for Games 4
and 5 if needed. Dittler took the loss in Game 4 of the semis,
allowing six runs on 12 hits over 6 1/3 innings. The 12 hits allowed
tied a season-high. Mastny got the start in Game 5 of the semis but
wasn't around to figure in the decision, allowing four runs on five
hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Aeros 'pen had a 4.61 ERA but didn't allow
a run over its final 10 innings of work against the Curve.

Portland
Lester, who shared the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Year honors
with since-promoted Joel Zumaya (Erie/Toledo), received a no-decision
in the opener of the semis despite striking out nine and allowing only
four hits over seven innings. He walked one and gave up two runs, both
earned. He had a 14-innings scoreless streak snapped by Trenton in the
second inning. Lester led the league with a franchise-record 2.61 ERA
during the regular season, in strikeouts (163) and was third in
victories (11). Sanchez, yet another in Boston's stable of top
pitching prospects, lasted only three innings during his Game 2 start
in the semis. He struck out four and allowed two runs on three hits.
He was 3-5 with a 3.45 ERA in 11 starts after coming up from Class A
Wilmington but had some soreness in his forearm and elbow during
Portland's last home game of the regular season. Including the
playoffs, he hasn't gone more than four innings in his last four
starts and is 0-4 with a 5.79 ERA over that stretch. David Pauley, who
started and lost Game 3 of the semis will start Game 3 again. He
allowed one earned run in 5 1/3 innings against Trenton. The Sea Dogs
haven't decided on starters for Games 4 and 5 yet. Wade Miller started
for Portland on a rehab assignment in the clincher against Trenton,
while Charlie Zink started Game 4 and received a no-decision. The Dogs
bullpen allowed four earned runs in 19 innings (1.89) but three of
those came during Saturday's Game 4 meltdown by Edgar Martinez and Jim
Mann. First-round pick Craig Hansen saw his first action since Aug. 26
on Sunday, throwing a scoreless inning of relief.

AT THE PLATE

Akron
Pat Osborn and Ivan Ochoa formed a wrecking crew, combining to hit
.500 (17-for-34) with a homer and four RBIs. Akron hit .307, the best
of the four teams in the semifinals and the only one to top .300. Ryan
Mulhern hit .316 with a homer and two RBIs, picking up where he left
off in the regular season. He joined Akron from Kinston in mid-June
and has been nothing short of spectacular since his arrival, hitting
.311 with 15 homers and 46 RBIs in 67 regular-season games. Eider
Torres hit .368 (7-for-19) with a steal. Jonathan Van Every hit only
.244 during the season, and he didn't hit for average in the opening
round, either, batting .176 (3-for-17). While he tied a franchise
record with 27 homers during the season, that pop wasn't evident
against Altoona. He had no homers, three RBIs and only one extra-base
hit. After setting a franchise mark with a league-leading 151 homers,
Akron blasted four during the first round, two of which were hit by
Shaun Larkin.

Portland
Chad Spann proved to be the hero in the opening round, blasting a pair
of game-winning homers, one of which was a walk-off grand slam. He
only played in nine games during the regular season with Portland
after spending most of the year in Class A Wilmington. But he proved
to be the most consistent player in the series, going 7-for-18 and
picking up hits in every game. The player whom many thought would use
the series as a showcase was Hanley Ramirez. But after we stated that
he had outgrown the Eastern League last week, we're big enough to
admit that we were wrong. He didn't starts showing some life until the
fourth game, when he was dropped to seventh in the batting order for
the first time all season. Maybe he saw that as a wakeup call because
he went 3-for-8 over the final two games with a homer and two RBIs.
Overall, though, he needs to do better than the 5-for-20 he put up in
the opening round as the whispers about his uninspired play grow
louder and louder. Scott Youngbauer hit .438 (7-for-16) with two
homers and three RBIs. Brandon Moss went 7-for-19 with a homer and two
RBIs, including picking up five hits over the final two games.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Portland is making a return to the finals for the first time since
1997, the year it was defeated for the second consecutive time by
Harrisburg for the title. The Aeros will be looking to win their
second title in three years after earning their first crown in 2003.
Torey Lovullo is the sixth Akron manager since 1989 to reach the
playoffs in his first year as the club's manager.

SERIES COULD TURN ON...

Ramirez. He has a world of talent, and it was clear during the semis
that he still hasn't figured out how to use it. If he plays in a
manner in which he is perceived around the game, he'll be lights out
and could dominate. But if he zones out, like he did defensively over
the weekend in Trenton, then he winds up doing more harm than good.
Portland committed four errors in the series, and Ramirez was
responsible for two of them, both coming on short throws.