(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Starting Pitchers coming series
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
On Thursday-evening (July 27), the first games are scheduled of the next 3-game series in both the Top-4 Pool and Bottom-5 Pool.
However, rain is predicted for Thursday (95%), making it questionable whether or not the opening-games can be played.
Rain is also expected on Friday (90%), Sunday (90%) and Monday (95%), which also can be of influence for the scheduled games on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as the make-up days Monday and Tuesday.
But, we will see what happens in the coming days, which games can be played and whether or not the weather predictions are correct.
As mentioned earlier, the Top-4 and Bottom-5 Pools form the second half of the regular season and end on Sunday, August 20.
Four days later after completion of the regular season, the six Wild Card Series begin en route to the Play-Offs and the Holland Series.
The teams in first and second place in the Top-4 Pool will face each other in the Wild Card Top Series and also secure a spot in the Play-Offs (four teams).
In the two Wild Card Bottom Series, the teams in third and fourth place meet the numbers one and two of the Bottom-5 Pool to determine which other two teams will advance to the Play-Offs.
Last weekend, Twins Oosterhout and DSS/Kinheim secured their spot in the Wild Card Bottom Series, as they will finish the Bottom-5 Pool in either the first of second place.
Twins Oosterhout, which leads the Bottom-5 Pool, swept Hoofddorp Pioniers in the previous series, closing with a big 20-8 win on Sunday.
DSS/Kinheim won two of its three games against UVV, which has coming series off.
In the upcoming series, Twins and DSS/Kinheim will face each other.
In the Top-4 Pool, leader Curaçao Neptunus swept Amsterdam Pirates with three small scores, including two one-run difference games.
Before the series, Pirates shared second place with HCAW, which won two of its three games against RCH Memorie Sieraden.
With that, HCAW took sole possession again of second place, while Pirates is in third place again.
That can change again in the upcoming series, as HCAW and Pirates then will meet each other.
The pitching-rotations are set again for the upcoming series, except for HCAW, which again is the lone team that has not announced a rotation yet with probable starters for the coming three games.
In the previous weeks, that had to do with the injury of righthander Lars Huijer, but he returned into action again on Saturday.
Huijer had been injured since the completion of the European Champions Cup-tournament, which ended on June 10.
With that, HCAW's rotation appeared to be intact again with Huijer, Kaj Timmermans and Dennis Burgersdijk.
However, although Huijer returned to the mound, the Bussum-squad had to do without Kaj Timmermans in the last series, as the righthander was not with the team.
Instead, he was in Trnava (Slovakia) as Pitching Coach of the Netherlands Under-15 Team during the European Under-15 Championship in the staff of Manager Jeroen Sluijter.
For the same reason, RCH-Pinguïns had to do without short stop Jesse Aussems, who is the 1B Coach of the Under-15 Team.
The Orange Team captured the European title by winning 14-4 against Italy in the Final last Saturday.
In the last series against RCH-Pinguïns, Burgersdijk, Huijer and Nathan Diaby were the starters for HCAW in that order.
HCAW's rotation for the upcoming series against Amsterdam Pirates is expected on Wednesday-evening or on Thursday-afternoon.
Beneath are the announced starting pitchers for the upcoming 3-game series that opens on Thursday-evening, July 27.
As always, these assignments can change on game-days.
Listed between the first parentheses behind the team-name is the record in the second half, listed in the second pair of parentheses is the record in the first half of the season.
(July 27)
Rosters
Live play-by-play & live-streams
| TOP-4 POOL |
| Roster | HCAW (9-9) (20-3-1) | vs. |
AMSTERDAM PIRATES (9-9) (16-7-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers HCAW | G | # | Starting Pitchers Pirates |
| Date, Time & Site |
| | to be announced | 1 | 29 | RHP Jelle van der Lelie (4-0) | Th. July 27, 7:30 PM, Bussum (1) |
| | to be announced | 2 | 54 | LHP Nelmerson Angela (6-3) | Sa. July 29, 2:00 PM, Amsterdam (2) |
| | to be announced | 3 | 32 | RHP Scott Prins (2-4) | Su. July 30, 2:00 PM, Bussum (1) |
| (1) - Rob Hoffmann Vallei, Sportpark 'De Sportvallei', Bussum; (2) - Loek Loevendie Ballpark, Sportpark 'Ookmeer', Amsterdam |
| TOP-4 POOL |
| Roster | RCH MEMORIE SIERADEN (4-14) (12-11-1) | vs. |
CURAÇAO NEPTUNUS (14-4) (20-3-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers RCH-Pinguïns | G | # | Starting Pitchers Neptunus |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 35 | RHP Mike van den Berg (1-1) | 1 | 32 | RHP Kevin Bakker (2-0) | Th. July 27, 7:30 PM, Heemstede (3) |
| 5 | RHP Jeremy Young (4-10) | 2 | 39 | RHP Shairon Martis (7-2) | Sa. July 29, 2:00 PM, Rotterdam (4) |
| 29 | RHP T'sean Martina (2-9) | 3 | 33 | RHP Kevin Kelly (13-1) | Su. July 30, 2:00 PM, Heemstede (3) |
| (3) - Heemsteedse Sportparken, Heemstede; (4) - Neptunus Familiestadion, Sportpark Abraham van Stolkweg, Rotterdam |
| BOTTOM-5 POOL |
| Roster | TWINS OOSTERHOUT (14-4) (12-11-1) | vs. |
DSS/KINHEIM (12-2-1) (10-14) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Twins | G | # | Starting Pitchers DSS/Kinheim |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 55 | RHP James Scholten (1-0) | 1 | 3 | RHP Martijn Schoonderwoerd (9-2) | Th. July 27, 7:30 PM, Oosterhout (5) |
| 14 | RHP Filip Čapka (6-3) | 2 | 27 | RHP Nick Boxelaar (5-7) | Sa. July 29, 2:00 PM, Haarlem (6) |
| 49 | RHP Raf Cocu (5-2) | 3 | 17 | LHP Rick Rizvić (4-1) | Su. July 30, 2:00 PM, Oosterhout (5) |
| (5) - Sportpark 'De Slotbosse Toren', Oosterhout; (6) - Pim Mulier Stadion, Pim Mulier Sportpark, Haarlem |
| BOTTOM-5 POOL |
| Roster | QUICK AMERSFOORT (5-9-1) (5-19) | vs. |
HOOFDDORP PIONIERS (4-13-1) (6-17-1) | Roster | Game-info |
| # | Starting Pitchers Quick | G | # | Starting Pitchers Pioniers |
| Date, Time & Site |
| 52 | LHP Jhan Rifaela (3-6) | 1 | 22 | RHP Just van den Ouweelen (1-4) | Th. July 27, 7:30 PM, Amersfoort (7) |
| 15 | RHP Jack Wagner (4-7) | 2 | 33 | LHP Sem Nijman (2-8) | Sa. July 29, 2:00 PM, Hoofddorp (8) |
| 18 | LHP Brian van Laar (1-7) | 3 | 27 | LHP Maarten Smit (2-3) | Su. July 30, 2:00 PM, Amersfoort (7) |
| (7) - XL Lease Park 'Dorrestein', Amersfoort; (8) - ETO Ballpark, Sportpark Hoofddorp Pioniers, Park21, Hoofddorp |
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