Welcome to the 13th CPBL weekly round-up as I look back at another fun week of baseball. Games played 23rd to 28th June.

Guardians v Monkeys – Tues and Wed in Taoyuan

On Tuesday the Monkeys gave a start to Lin Hua Ching, one of their starters who predominantly features in the 2nd team. He had command issues giving up 4 walks and 2 hits in his 3.1 innings, the Guardians scoring 4 runs. His replacement Hung Sheng Chin wasn’t any better, 9H and 5R over the next 2.2 as Fubon cruised into a 9-2 lead. Both sides would score twice more. Mike Loree had an easy night, 8H and 2R off his 7. Final score: Guardians 11 Monkeys 4

Wednesday’s game was settled by 7 but the Monkeys got the win. Bryan Woodall and Weng Wei Chun started well keeping the scores at 0 until the bottom of the 5th when Yu Meng Xu made an error to allow 3 Monkeys to score. Woodall exited after 6 having only given away 3 unearned runs. The Guardians scored in the 6th, 7th and 8th and were only 4-3 down going into the bottom of the 8th until Lin Yi Hao and Yang Bin imploded. The home side scored 6 runs as Yang allowed B2B homers to Lin Li and Liao Chien Fu. There was no stirring comeback as that was the end of the scoring. Final score: Guardians 3 Monkeys 10.

Lions v Brothers – Thursday in Taichung.

Neither Chiang Chen Yen nor Jose DePaula had had a no decision entering this game and it stayed that way. Wu Chieh Rui’s early double off De Paula brought home a Lions run but from there, it all went wrong. Brothers launched three balls over the wall in their 1st inning reply to surge 5-1 up. It only got worse as he conceded 2 more to break the league record for 5 in a game off one pitcher. It was 9-3 by the time he left and Brothers extended their lead to 12-3 after 5. At 13-3 there was a bit of a Lions rally but getting 10 runs was never likely, they got 3 in the 8th. Final score: Lions 6 Brothers 13.

Lions v Monkeys – Fri, Sat, Sun in Taoyuan.

Friday’s game saw Shih Tzu Chien face Lisalverto Bonila but neither had an impact on the game. Scores went back and forth in the opening 6, 2-1, 2-4, 5-4, 5-6 and both starters exited with the game in the balance. Uni Lions tied it in the 7th but yet again Huang Chun Yen took the loss in the bottom of the 8th, his 4th in 9 games although the two runs conceded were unearned due to an error… By Huang himself! Lions 6 Monkeys 8 was how it ended.

Saturday’s game was one of the most outrageous in the CPBL in recent years. Uni Lions have never been known for getting results in Taoyuan but this changed, massively. Two 4 ball walks by Elih Villanueva set the stage, Su Chih Chieh put the Lions ahead and Wu Chieh Rui walked to load the bases with 0 outs. The Lions would hit 6 and bat around. The lead became 10-0 after 3 with no pressure Lions starter Josh Roenicke. The home side got it as close as 11-5 then all hell broke loose as the Lions utter shredded the Monkeys lesser bullpen pitchers.  A further 10 runs would score in the final 3 as the visiting team made 26 hits in an insane 21-5 victory. Every Lions starting batter got a run, hit and RBI, except Chen Chong Ting who didn’t come home. Lin An Ko went 5-6 with 7RBI and 2 home runs. It was the first time in 7 years the Lions had had 20 and became the 21st side in league history to do so. Final score: Lions 21 Monkeys 5.

Sunday’s game should have been a tighter affair and it was. Logan Darnell v Wang Yi Zheng on the mound, Wang a pitcher the Lions have never liked facing but he would last just 3.2. 7 runs in the opening 4 made things easy for Darnell who has a very impressive start. Just 2 runs given away in 6.1 to give him his 1st ever quality start in Taiwan. Those 2 came off a Lin Hung Yu homer in the 4th. The Lions added 3 more in the 5th and 6th and recorded their 4th win in 5 trips to Taoyuan. Final score: Lions 10 Monkeys 2.

Guardians v Brothers – Fri, Sat, Sun Taichung.

There were high scoring games in Taoyuan but that wasn’t true in Taichung as Brothers edged past the Guardians in all three games.

Friday’s game was decided early. Kao Hsiao Yi hit the only run for the Guardians,  homer off Lively in the first but Brothers fought back quickly. Chou Shi Chi and Chan Tzu Hsien RBIs put them 2-1 up and an unearned run in the 3rd made it 3-1. No further score. Final score Guardians 1 Brothers 3.

Saturday saw Brothers star Taiwanese pitcher Huang En Sih go 5-0 as he took on fellow youngster Chen Shih Peng. He conceded single homers in the 3rd and 5th but on both occasions his team hit 2 runs in reply off Chen, 3 of the 4 runs scored off home runs. Brothers scored again in the 6th off Chen to go 5 2 up. The sides exchanged runs in the 8th as the home side took a 6-3 win. Guardians 3 Brothers 6.

Loree v Miranda on Sunday and the experienced Loree fell to his 3rd defeat of the season. 1-1 after 1, Brothers went 2-1 up in the 2nd, Fubon went 3-2 in the 4th and the lead changed for the final time in the 5th. Chang Chih Hao and Su Chi Hung brought home runners back to back. No further score with the Guardians failing to get a man beyond 2nd. Final score: Guardians 3 Brothers 4.

That concludes week 13. Stay tuned for week 14.

Tom