With three straight wins to close out last month, the Lamigo Monkeys have boosted their second-half record to an even 7-7 mark as of yesterday morning, good enough for No. 2 in the latest standings.
Stellar starting pitching was the main reason that the defending champs have seemingly rebounded from a dismal first half, with staff ace Mike Loree leading the way. The US righty out of Villanova University — who played in the minors with the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburg Pirates before coming to Taiwan during the second half of last season — have come off a mid-season slump this year with four straight quality starts, the last two of which have resulted in big wins for the Primates.
“We are coming around as a team,” Loree said after pitching seven effective innings of two-run ball (one earned) against the EDA Rhinos on Tuesday, even though it netted him a no-decision with the Lamigo bullpen blowing a late-game lead in the eighth.
His continued success will play an important role in the Monkeys’ quest to advance into the post-season and defend their title.
Doing the damage at the plate for the Monkeys in their recent barrage were sluggers Tsan Chih-yao, Kuo Sho-yen and Hsieh Hsuan-ren. They picked up eight three-hit games among them to help their team pound out nearly eight runs per game during their current three-game win streak, humbling the opposing pitching in the process.
“What’s so amazing about [the Monkeys’] recent run is that they are doing it without the help of the big-name guys, which means they will be even tougher to beat when the big guns like Lin Hung-yu and Chung ‘Yo Yo Man’ Cheng-yo return,” baseball commentator Yang Ching-lung said earlier this week.
It may be too early to tell whether the Primates will remain strong for the rest of the season, but they do possess one of the most stable starting rotations, with Loree, fellow lefty Brian Burres and Tseng Jau-hao all having been there since the start of the season. Such stability in personnel will be considered a luxury come next month as teams look to improve on their plays in preparation for the post-season.
WEEKEND PREVIEW
The Monkeys will host the top-ranked Brother Elephants in a three-game set in Taoyuan this weekend, when a series sweep could give them the lead in the standings.
They will have more than the top spot to play for against an Elephants squad that took two of three from them in their last three-game showdown on the road back in the middle of last month.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put