So welcome to the second phase, there is one important question…will Lamigo Monkeys win their sixth consecutive phase and 3rd title in a row?

Uni Lions

For Lions fans going into the first week of the second phase, there was another question…would they finally break an 11 game losing streak in Taoyuan?

Friday’s game saw Ryan Verdugo head to the mound and he put in another below-par display. Verdugo gave up 6 hits, 6 runs in the opening 4 as the Lions went 6-0 down. Lo Guo Long made 4 hits in 5ABs and a comeback of sorts was mounted, but Lamigo were 7-4 winners.

Saturday’s game was more of the usual kind of Lions display in Taoyuan, play OK then concede a load of runs in one inning. 2-1 up, Jiang Chen-Yen began the collapse, 4 hits, 6 walks and he conceded 5 of Lamigo 7 in the 4th inning. 8-2 down after 4, Lamigo added two more in the 5th and 6th, Lions lost 12-2.

Sunday, was it to be the day? Uni Lions lead 2-0 going into the 7th before Fu Yu-Gang conceded a two-run homer to Lin Cheng-Fei. Was it a case of here we go again? No! Luo Guo-Long hit a two-run homer of his own off Lin Bai You to make it 4-2 in the top of the 9th and Lions newbie Alec Asher got the save! 13 consecutive defeats in Taoyuan, the run is over!

Chinatrust Brothers

From one first phase struggler to another, how did Brothers fare in their opening series of the second phase against Fubon Guardians?

The answer is not very well! On Friday they led 4-0 going into the bottom of the 6th inning only for Mitch Lively to give up the game losing Grand Slam to ex Brothers star, Chiang Chih-Hsien. It ended 5-4 Guardians.

Elih Villanueva had a quality start, giving up just a solitary hit and Brothers led 1-0 against Mike Loree and the Guardians after 6. The bullpen stuttered, Jiang Zhong-Cheng giving up a hit, 2 walks and ultimately the game, as he conceded 2 runs. Brothers couldn’t mount a fightback against Loree or Chen Hong-Wen and fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Sunday was now better, 1-0 up after 1 then went 3-1 down after 5 innings. 3 runs in the top of 6th tied it, but young starter Liao Yi Zhong gave up 2 more runs, as did reliever Chiu Pin Rui. Brothers were 8-4 down after the 6th and despite two quick runs back in the 7th, couldn’t manage anymore. Brothers 6-8 Guardians was how it ended.

Lamigo Monkeys

So the champions who have exerted plenty of dominance over Uni Lions this year. There has almost been a level of inevitability about this Monkeys side against the Lions this year and on Friday/Saturday, that continued.

On Friday, Lamigo took control over the game and hit regular runs against Ryan Verdugo to go 6-0 ahead, Liao Chien-Fu and Lin Li both hitting home runs. The game would end 7-4 but it was an efficient display, 7 runs off 8 hits and Chu Yu-Hsien and Lan Yin-Lun both struck out three times in three at-bats.

Saturday was a typical Lamigo win, give your opponent a little bit of hope and then proceed to savage them in one inning. Lions Jiang Chen Yen may well have helped, giving up 6 walks and only 4 hits, as Lamigo turned a 2-1 deficit into an 8-2 lead in the 4th. 4 more runs followed, and the result was a 13th consecutive home win over Uni Lions.

A rare off day came on Sunday, Lamigo failed to score in the opening 4 and only made 4 hits, going 2-0 down. Lin Li’s two-run blast levelled the game at 2-2 but the usually reliable Lin Bai-You gave up a two-run home run to Luo Guo Long. Lions closer Alec Asher saw the game out, and the Monkeys had lost. Just 2 runs, 5 hits and 3 errors, definitely an uncharacteristic display from the Monkeys.

Fubon Guardians

And so we turn to Fubon Guardians, who as you may have read above claimed a series victory over Chinatrust Brothers.

On Friday, a 4-0 deficit was quickly turned into a 5-4 lead in the 6th. Wang Chung-Tang’s RBI made it 4-1. Hu Jin-Long and Lin Yu-Chuan loaded the bases with 1 out before former Brothers star Chiang Chih-Hsien hit a grand slam and that was all they needed as Fubon ran out 5-4 winners.

Mike Loree put in a display you would typically find from someone like Mike Loree! He gave up 5 hits and 1 run in 8 innings, Fubon got only made a single hit off Villanueva but got 2 runs off Jiang Cheng-Zhong who gave up 2 walks and a hit. No more runs scored, Fubon won 2-1.

Sunday’s game was probably the most entertaining. The Guardians went 3-1 ahead before the bullpen gave up three runs as Brothers took a 4-3 lead in the top of 6th. It seemed to fire up Fubon’s hitters who scored 5 runs off the pitching of Liao Yi-Zhong, Chiu Pin-Rui and Guan Da-Yuan in the bottom of the 6th. No further score and 14 hits for Fubon in an 8-6 victory, runs and hits spread quite evenly across the team.

This week’s schedule

Chinatrust Brothers v Uni Lions @ Chengcing Lake on Tues/Wed at 6:35pm

Lamigo Monkeys v Fubon Guardians @ Xinzhuang on Wed/Thur at 6:35pm

Fubon Guardians v Uni Lions @ Tainan on Fri at 6:35pm, Sat/Sun at 5:05pm

Lamigo Monkeys v Chinatrust Brothers @ Taichung I.C on Fri at 6:35pm, Sat/Sun at 5:05pm