Having won four straight and eight of their past dozen, the Lamigo Monkeys have quietly ascended past the struggling Uni-President Lions to take second spot in the standings.
The potent Primates offense, led by Lin Chih-sheng and Chen Chun-hsiu’s red-hot bats, have averaged more than seven runs per game in their past 12 contests to outslug their opponents with an 8-4 record.
The bashing tandem started their reign of terror when Chen broke out for four RBIs on a three-hit night on Sept. 3 and topped it off with five RBIs the following day, including two homers, to lift his team to victories. He went 17 for 44 (.386) with four home runs and 20 RBIs in his past dozen to account for nearly 25 percent of his team’s total run production.
Not to be outshone by Chen, Lin has driven in 16 on an 18-for-49 (.367) run, with six homers over the same 12-game stretch to provide a colossal boost to the defending champions’ offensive output.
“People might have counted us out earlier in the month, but we’ve proven them wrong by scoring runs consistently,” Lin said earlier in the week.
He has had five multi-hit games in the past 12 to give Monkeys fans something to talk about.
While the Primates are on a rampage, the Lions’ season has gone in the other direction, as they dropped from second to third in the standings and are on the verge of dropping out of playoff contention due to a recent free fall, in which they lost nine of the past 12, including a six-game slide.
Poor pitching was the culprit, as the Lions’ offense actually averaged nearly five runs per game — compared with the six runs that the Lions’ pitchers allowed per game over the same span — and could have won at least four of the nine losses if the pitching had not given up too many runs to spoil the potential wins.
The four-game win streak in the middle of last month that brought the Lions to as close as two-and-a-half games of the league-leading Chinatrust Brothers seems very far away, as the Lions look to regroup in a hurry to keep their post-season hopes alive.
Consistent starting pitching is undoubtedly the solution to the Lions’ current problem, as they cannot afford to give up quick leads to put even more pressure on a lineup that is not exactly blowing by their opposition.
“We really have to buckle down and keep the games close with a better job from our starters,” skipper Chen Lien-hung was quoted as saying by Chinese-language media.
His starters have allowed four or more runs through the fifth in five of their past dozen to dig holes that were often too deep for the Lions offense to overcome.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just