MONDAY’S  GAMES:

9:00      KINGS (4-3) AT T-WOLVES (7-0)
PISTONS (5-2) AT THUNDER (2-4)
KNICKS (4-3) AT MAGIC (5-2)

10:30     BULLS (2-5) AT ROCKETS (5-2)
HEAT (2-4) AT MAVERICKS (3-5)
BUCKS (1-6) AT LAKERS (4-3)
SUNS (3-4) AT 76ERS (1-7)

12:00     HORNETS (4-3) AT GRIZZLIES (2-5)
PACERS (6-1) AT CELTICS (5-3)
HAWKS (4-4) AT BOBCATS (1-7)
SPURS (2-5) AT CAVALIERS (7-1)

DIVISION  NOTES:

BOBCATS:   Offensive problems continue (20^th of 22 teams in runs scored and batting average)….  Team has not scored more than 12 runs in
any game, leading to 0-4 record in close games….. the defense collapsed in their
last game, committing six errors; the
Bobcats are now 20^th in errors…. Team is 0-5 at
home

BUCKS:  Four-game
losing streak…. Also struggling to score runs (total of 15 in last three games)
and last in the division in extra base hits…. Best defense in the division
with four errors in seven games….. Next three games are against winning teams,
including the undefeated T-Wolves.

BULLS:  After
opening with five losses, they’ve won their last two…. They rank next to last in
runs scored…… Sub Don Kaiser was 4-for-4 in win against the Heat

CAVALIERS:  Moved
into second place with third straight win…. 4-0 in close games and 4-0 at
home….. Next two games are against teams with losing records…. Won 5-3 defensive
battle to hand Pistons their first loss… Ranks 21^st in errors
committed

CELTICS:  Took
advantage  of seven walks (two
intentional) to beat the Bucks 13-6….. Have held their last three opponents to
an average of seven runs…… They rank third in extra base hits…. Three of their
next four games are against teams with combined 18-4 record (Pacers, Cavaliers
and Pistons)

GRIZZLIES:  Took
13-10 lead into the sixth inning against the unbeaten T-Wolves, but gave up six
runs in the last two innings…. Have lost five of their last six…. Last in
batting average and in defense….. Pitcher Mark Germann had a triple and a home
run against the T-Wolves…. Have not won a home game

HAWKS:  Not
much wrong with their offense (first in extra base hits, second in runs scored
and batting average), but next-to-last in allowing runs….. Sub Bruce Carlson was
4-for-4 against the Hornets, including a double and a home run…… Their next
three games are against teams with losing records

HEAT:  After
losing their first three games, they’ve won two of three….. Have committed a
total of only one error in their last three games…. 0-2 when visiting team….
Have not needed a sub so far….. Rank last in giving up
runs

HORNETS:  They
averaged 17 runs a game in their four wins, but only six runs a game in their
three losses….. An odd sequence of games:
the Hornets mercied the Bulls 17-2, lost a mercy decision to the
Mavericks 8-23 and the nearly mercied the Rockets, 22-8

KINGS:  On
a three-game winning streak, including a 4-3 victory over the Lakers…… The
streak will be tested against the first-place Timberwolves on Monday…..Team
ranks third in defense…. Kings have not needed a sub

KNICKS:  Trailing
14-6 in the 6^th, the Knicks scored six in the 6^th and
three in the bottom of the seventh for a walk-off win against the
Mavericks.  The Knicks were outhit
22-15 in the game…. In their three losses, the Knicks have averaged six runs a
game

LAKERS:  Have
lost all three close games they’ve played, including a 4-3 defeat at the hands
of the Kings…. Lakers lead the division in allowing the fewest runs and with the
league’s highest team average and the second most extra base hits, they should
be higher than eighth place…. Another team that has not used any
subs

MAGIC:  Have
won three of four with the third best defense in the division as far as allowing
runs…..  On the other hand, their
offense is next-to-last in batting average….. Of their next four opponents, only one has
a winning record (4-3 Knicks)

MAVERICKS:  They
lost their first four, won their next three and dropped heart-breaking 14-15
loss to the Knicks in the bottom of the seventh….. Only four errors in their
first five games, but 11 in the next three to  make them 21^st in the
division

PACERS:  Four
wins in a row have put them in third place, just one game out of first…..
unbeaten at home (4-0)….. lead the division in fewest runs given up and are
third in batting average and runs scored….their next four opponents have winning
records, including October 17 date with the undefeated
Timberwolves

PISTONS:  Their
first five games resulted in five wins, including two mercy decisions. But in their next two games, both
losses, the Piston bats went cold (three runs in each game)…. Defense remains
steady:  2^nd in runs
allowed and on pace to set record for fewest errors—they have only four…. Tied
for best defensive record with the Bucks

ROCKETS:  Winners
of four of their last five, Rockets are tied for third place….. No subs so far….
Have scored in double figures in every game except the opener (a 10-5 loss to
the Pistons)

76ERS:  After
not scoring more than seven runs in their first seven games, the 76ers erupted
for 17 runs and 32 hits to beat the spurs 17-5…. John Arruda paced the win with
five hits and five rbi…. Producing runs remains a problem as the team ranks last
in that department

SPURS:  Only
11 runs in their last three games, including a 16-1 mercy loss to the Pacers….
20^th in extra base hits, Spurs are also 20^th in giving up
runs… Their first two losses were by margins of four and five runs, but the next
three were by nine, 15 and 12

SUNS:  Although
they are 2-0 in close games, the Suns have lost three of their last four
games…  In their last three games
they’ve scored a total of 20 runs and averaged 14 hits….  After playing the 76ers on Monday, they
go up against the 7-1 Cavaliers and the 5-2 Pistons

THUNDER:  Still
looking for their first home win…. Four of their six games have been decided by
three or fewer runs with the Thunder losing three of the four… The team has
needed at least one sub in every game

TIMBERWOLVES:
The undefeated T-Wolves are 4-0 in close
games….  The perfect record is not
based on power so far:  the team is
next-to-last in extra base hits…. Three of their next four games are at
home

TEAM STATISTICS:  RUNS PER GAME

Teams	Games	Runs	Average
Lakers	7	97	13.86
Hawks	8	110	13.75
Pacers	7	94	13.43
Heat	6	77	12.83
Cavaliers	7	87	12.40
Thunder	6	74	12.33
Pistons	7	86	12.29
Hornets	7	85	12.14
Timberwolves	7	84	12.00
Rockets	7	84	12.00
Celtics	8	95	11.87
Mavericks	8	90	11.25
Knicks	7	78	11.14
Magic	7	70	10.00
Kings	7	70	10.00
Suns	7	66	9.43
Grizzlies	7	61	8.71
Spurs	7	59	8.43
Bucks	7	58	8.29
Bobcats	8	65	8.13
Bulls	7	51	7.29
76ers	`8	54	6.75

 

TEAM STATISTICS: EXTRA BASE
HITS

Teams	Games	XBHits	Per game
Hawks	8	33	4.13
Lakers	7	28	4.00
Celtics	8	30	3.75
Heat	6	21	3.50
Mavericks	8	27	3.37
Thunder	6	20	3.33
Pacers	7	23	3.29
Hornets	7	22	3.14
Pistons	7	22	3.14
Magic	7	21	3.00
Cavaliers	8	23	2.87
Knicks	7	20	2.86
Division	158	435	2.75
Rockets	7	19	2.71
Kings	7	17	2.43
76ers	8	19	2.37
Suns	7	16	2.29
Grizzlies	7	15	2.14
Bobcats	8	16	2.00
Bulls	7	13	1.86
Spurs	7	11	1.57
T-Wolves	7	10	1.43
Bucks	7	9	1.29

 

TEAM STATISTICS: BATTING
AVERAGE

Teams	Ave.
Lakers	.558
Hawks	.549
Pacers	.546
Pistons	.544
T-Wolves	.541
Heat	.539
Rockets	.536
Thunder	.528
Cavaliers	.527
Celtics	.520
Hornets	.519
Mavericks	.515
Kings	.508
Division average	.503
Knicks	.489
Bucks	.468
Bulls	.466
Suns	.464
Spurs	.462
76ers	.460
Bobcats	.457
Magic	.451
Grizzlies	.414

 

TEAM
STATISTICS:
ERRORS

Teams	Games	Errors	Errors/game
Bucks, Pistons	7	4	0.571
Kings	7	6	0.857
Celtics	8	8	1.000
Lakers	7	8	1.143
Heat	6	7	1.167
Hawks	8	10	1.250
Hornets , Magic, Pacers, Spurs, Suns	7	9	1.286
Knicks, Rockets	7	11	1.571
Thunder	6	10	1.667
Bulls, T-Wolves	7	12	1.714
76ers	8	14	1.750
Bobcats, Mavericks	8	15	1.875
Cavaliers, Grizzlies	8	16	2.000

 

 

MOST
AT BATS IN DIVISION FOUR(through
Summer ‘13)

Rank	At Bats	Player	Prev.
1	1965	Mike Thurik	1
2	1940	Frank Porcelli	2
3	1905	Bob Shuman	3
4	1801	Jim Kipp	4
5	1800	Brad Reese	5
6	1782	Mark Johnson	6
7	1752	Bob Hill	7
8	1748	Dave Thorpe	8
9	1732	Jack Hubbard	10
10	1713	Mike Varga	12
11	1674	Dave Zuehlke	15
12	1661	Paul Andrasko	9
13	1660	Bob Lyons	16
14	1653	Lamar Young	11
15	1651	Paul Handzel	18
16	1643	Doug Berry	13
17	1639	Ed Humphries	17
18	1624	Bud Peffley	14
19	1543	Jim Humphrey	19
20	1542	Don Evans	20

 

MOVED UP:
Jack Hubbard, Mike Varga, Dave Zuehlke, Bob
Lyons

MOVED DOWN:Paul Andrasko, Lamar
Young, Doug Berry, Bud Peffley

CLOSING IN:   George
Stanley (1540), Roger Mott (1537), Ron Pearson (1507),   Kenny Rogers 1502

 

CORRECTION ON GAMES PLAYED:
Bob Lyons should have been listed 18th–through summer ’13, he had played in 436
games