Playoff Race - 5 To Play

West Michigan keeps winning, so that's hurting the Silver Hawks a bit more right now since the Whitecaps hold the tiebreaker and they play the TinCaps for the final three games.  If the Silver Hawks lose either of the next two games, or if West Michigan wins either of the next two, it will eliminate the Silver Hawks due to the tiebreaking scenarios and those final three games with the Whitecaps and TinCaps going head-to-head.

(If South Bend wins the next two, they'll be one game behind Fort Wayne.  However, if West Michigan wins one of the next two, then the Whitecaps will remain at least two games ahead of the Silver Hawks.  Thus, in order to surpass the Whitecaps over the final three, Fort Wayne would have to sweep the head to head series.  If Fort Wayne does that, the Hawks will jump West Michigan but stay behind the TinCaps by a game.  A bit confusing, but that's how it works.)

The playoff picture is listed below...

Eastern Division First Round
Dayton (Second Half Champ) vs. Lansing (First Half Wild Card)
Bowling Green (First Half Champ) vs. TBA (Second Half Wild Card)

Western Division First Round
Burlington (First Half Champ) vs. TBA (Second Half Wild Card)
Quad Cities (First Half Wild Card) vs. TBA (Second Half Champ)
*Clinton and Kane County have clinched spots, but it's not determined which one will be the champion yet.

**Eastern Division Wild Card Race** (Note, this is only for the wild card since Dayton has clinched the championship)

Team	W	L	GB
Fort Wayne	35	30	--
West Michigan	35	30	--
South Bend	32	33	-3.0

Lake County and Great Lakes have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Western Division (Both Clinton and Kane County have clinched a playoff spot, they are now fighting for who will be the champ and who will be the wild card)

Team	W	L	GB
Clinton	37	27	--
Kane County	35	30	-2.5

Peoria, Wisconsin, Beloit, and Cedar Rapids have all been mathematically eliminated.

Playoff Race - Six Games Remain

A golden opportunity missed last night, as West Michigan and Fort Wayne both lost, but so did the Silver Hawks in extra innings.  Technically the elimination number is 3, but because of the tiebreakers, if the Hawks lose one game to Fort Wayne, they would be mathematically eliminated.  (If South Bend only took 2 out of 3 from Fort Wayne, they'd be 3 games back of the TinCaps, but they'd also be at least one game back of West Michigan.  Since West Michigan plays Fort Wayne over the final weekend, the Hawks would need a Whitecaps sweep to tie Fort Wayne, but that would then leave South Bend a game back of West Michigan.  Understand?   Good).

The playoff picture is listed below...
Eastern Division First Round
Dayton (Second Half Champ) vs. Lansing (First Half Wild Card)
Bowling Green (First Half Champ) vs. TBA (Second Half Wild Card)

Western Division First Round
Burlington (First Half Champ) vs. TBA (Second Half Wild Card)
Quad Cities (First Half Wild Card) vs. TBA (Second Half Champ)
*Clinton has clinched one of the two remaining spots, but it is not decided which one yet.

**Eastern Division Wild Card Race** (Note, this is only for the wild card since Dayton has clinched the championship)

Team	W	L	GB
Fort Wayne	35	29	--
West Michigan	34	30	-1.0
Great Lakes	31	33	-4.0
South Bend	31	33	-4.0

Lake County has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs - Clinton has clinched at least one spot)

Team	W	L	GB
Clinton	37	26	--
Kane County	34	30	-4.0
Beloit	28	35	-9.0

Peoria, Wisconsin, and Cedar Rapids have all been mathematically eliminated.

Playoff Race - One Week Remains

A little bit of a different format today, since some things we already know:

Eastern Division First Round
Dayton (Second Half Champ) vs. Lansing (First Half Wild Card)
Bowling Green (First Half Champ) vs. TBA (Second Half Wild Card)

Western Division First Round
Burlington (First Half Champ) vs. TBA (Second Half Wild Card)
Quad Cities (First Half Wild Card) vs. TBA (Second Half Champ)
*Clinton has clinched one of the two remaining spots, but it is not decided which one yet.

**Eastern Division Wild Card Race** (Note, this is only for the wild card since Dayton has clinched the championship)

Team	W	L	GB
Fort Wayne	35	28	--
West Michigan	34	29	-1.0
Great Lakes	31	32	-4.0
South Bend	31	32	-4.0

Lake County has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs - Clinton has clinched at least one spot)

Team	W	L	GB
Clinton	37	26	--
Kane County	34	29	-3.0
Wisconsin	28	35	-9.0
Beloit	28	35	-9.0

Peoria and Cedar Rapids have been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Playoff Race - 8 To Go

South Bend has won four out of five, so the playoff hopes remain alive.  The elimination number is still four, meaning any combination of South Bend losses or Fort Wayne wins that total up to four would eliminate the Hawks.

By the way, Dayton has clinched a playoff spot, and have a magic number of one to clinch the second half title.  Also, in the West, Clinton has clinched a playoff spot as well.

Here are the standings with eight games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	43	19	--
Fort Wayne	35	27	-8.0
West Michigan	33	29	-10.0
Great Lakes	31	31	-12.0
South Bend	30	32	-13.0

Lake County has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Clinton	37	25	--
Kane County	33	29	-4.0
Wisconsin	28	34	-9.0
Beloit	27	35	-10.0
Cedar Rapids	25	37	-12.0

Peoria has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Playoff Race - 10 To Go

The Silver Hawks took two out of three from Fort Wayne, and have kept the very slim playoff hopes alive for another few days.  The elimination number is 5, meaning any combination of Fort Wayne wins or South Bend losses that total up to 5 would eliminate the Hawks.

Here are the standings with 10 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	41	19	--
Fort Wayne	34	26	-7.0
West Michigan	33	27	-8.0
Great Lakes	30	30	-11.0
South Bend	27	32	-13.0

Lake County has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Clinton	35	25	--
Kane County	33	27	-2.0
Beloit	27	33	-8.0
Wisconsin	26	34	-9.0
Cedar Rapids	25	35	-10.0

Peoria has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Playoff Race -- 11 To Go

Tough day yesterday. 
Here are the standings with 11 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	40	19	--
Fort Wayne	34	25	-6.0
West Michigan	32	27	-8.0
Great Lakes	30	29	-10.0
South Bend	27	32	-13.0

Lake County has been mathematically eliminated from postseason contention.

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Clinton	34	25	--
Kane County	33	26	-1.0
Beloit	26	33	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	25	34	-9.0
Wisconsin	25	34	-9.0
Peoria	22	37	-12.0

Playoff Race - A Dozen Remain

A good win yesterday kept the very slim playoff hopes alive for South Bend.  The elimination remains at 7 with 12 to play (and combination of a Fort Wayne win or a South Bend loss that adds up to seven eliminates the Hawks).

Here are the standings with 12 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	39	19	--
Fort Wayne	33	25	-6.0
West Michigan	31	27	-8.0
Great Lakes	30	28	-9.0
South Bend	27	31	-12.0
Lake County	21	37	-18.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	33	25	--
Clinton	33	25	--
Beloit	26	32	-7.0
Cedar Rapids	25	33	-8.0
Wisconsin	24	34	-9.0
Peoria	22	36	-11.0

Playoff Race - 14 To Play

Yesterday was a crushing blow to the playoff hopes for South Bend. 
Here are the standings with 14 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	38	18	--
Fort Wayne	32	24	-6.0
Great Lakes	29	27	-9.0
West Michigan	29	27	-9.0
South Bend	26	30	-12.0
Lake County	21	35	-17.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	32	24	--
Clinton	31	25	-1.0
Beloit	26	30	-6.0
Cedar Rapids	24	32	-8.0
Wisconsin	23	33	-9.0
Peoria	22	34	-10.0

Playoff Race - 15 Left

Yesterday was a missed opportunity for South Bend, with all the teams they are chasing losing as well.  The Silver Hawks are still five games out of the wild card spot.

Here are the standings with 15 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	37	18	--
Fort Wayne	31	24	-6.0
Great Lakes	29	26	-8.0
West Michigan	28	27	-9.0
South Bend	26	29	-11.0
Lake County	21	34	-16.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	32	23	--
Clinton	30	25	-2.0
Beloit	26	29	-6.0
Wisconsin	23	32	-9.0
Cedar Rapids	23	32	-9.0
Peoria	22	33	-10.0

Playoff Race - 16 Remain

Yes another mixed day for South Bend on Saturday, as the Silver Hawks won but so did Great Lakes and Fort Wayne.  South Bend remains five games out of the wild card.

Here are the standings with 16 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	37	17	--
Fort Wayne	31	23	-6.0
Great Lakes	29	25	-8.0
West Michigan	27	27	-10.0
South Bend	26	28	-11.0
Lake County	20	34	-17.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	32	22	--
Clinton	29	25	-3.0
Beloit	26	28	-6.0
Wisconsin	22	32	-10.0
Peoria	22	32	-10.0
Cedar Rapids	22	32	-10.0

Playoff Race - 17 Remaining

Another mixed day for South Bend on Friday, with the Silver Hawks winning but Fort Wayne routed West Michigan.  South Bend remains five games out of the wild card.

Here are the standings with 17 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	36	17	--
Fort Wayne	30	23	-6.0
Great Lakes	28	25	-8.0
West Michigan	27	26	-9.0
South Bend	25	28	-11.0
Lake County	20	33	-16.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	31	22	--
Clinton	29	24	-2.0
Beloit	25	28	-6.0
Wisconsin	22	31	-9.0
Peoria	22	31	-9.0
Cedar Rapids	21	32	-10.0

Playoff Race - 18 To Play

Yesterday was a good day for South Bend, but it could have been better.  Fort Wayne won, so the Hawks remain five games back of the TinCaps.  However, South Bend has closed to within four of Great lakes and three of West Michigan. 

Here are the standings with 18 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	35	17	--
Fort Wayne	29	23	-6.0
Great Lakes	28	24	-7.0
West Michigan	27	25	-8.0
South Bend	24	28	-11.0
Lake County	20	32	-15.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	31	21	--
Clinton	28	24	-3.0
Beloit	24	28	-7.0
Wisconsin	22	30	-9.0
Peoria	21	31	-10.0
Cedar Rapids	20	32	-11.0

Playoff Race - 19 To Go

Yesterday was a great day for South Bend:  A Silver Hawks win combined with losses by both of the wild card leading teams, and things have become a bit more interesting.  Still a longshot, but a little closer entering play today.

Here are the standings with 19 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	34	17	--
Great Lakes	28	23	-6.0
Fort Wayne	28	23	-6.0
West Michigan	27	24	-7.0
South Bend	23	28	-11.0
Lake County	20	31	-14.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	30	21	--
Clinton	27	24	-3.0
Beloit	24	27	-6.0
Wisconsin	22	29	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	20	31	-10.0
Peoria	20	31	-10.0

Playoff Race - 20 To Go

A good win for the Silver Hawks yesterday, but unfortunately, Great Lakes and Fort Wayne also won so the Silver Hawks remain six games out of a playoff spot with 20 to play.

Here are the standings with 20 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	33	17	--
Great Lakes	28	22	-5.0
Fort Wayne	28	22	-5.0
West Michigan	26	24	-7.0
South Bend	22	28	-11.0
Lake County	20	30	-13.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	30	20	--
Clinton	27	23	-3.0
Beloit	23	27	-7.0
Wisconsin	21	29	-9.0
Cedar Rapids	20	30	-10.0
Peoria	20	30	-10.0

Playoff Race -- 22 To Go

At this point, the Silver Hawks need a miracle to make the playoffs.  Six games out, 22 to play, three teams to jump over.

Here are the standings with 22 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	31	16	--
Great Lakes	27	21	-4.5
Fort Wayne	26	22	-5.5
West Michigan	25	23	-6.5
South Bend	21	27	-10.5
Lake County	19	28	-12.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	28	20	--
Clinton	25	23	-3.0
Beloit	23	25	-5.0
Peoria	20	28	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	20	28	-8.0
Wisconsin	19	29	-9.0

Playoff Race - 24 To Play

The Silver Hawks lost a game to everyone except West Michigan last night on the roughest night for the team in quite some time (in terms of playoff race)
Here are the standings with 24 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	30	15	--
Great Lakes	26	20	-4.5
West Michigan	24	22	-6.5
Fort Wayne	24	22	-6.5
South Bend	21	25	-9.5
Lake County	18	27	-12.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	27	19	--
Clinton	24	22	-3.0
Beloit	21	25	-6.0
Wisconsin	19	27	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	19	27	-8.0
Peoria	19	27	-8.0

Playoff Race - 25 To Go

The Hawks are still hanging around in the playoff race, but not making up any ground right now.

Here are the standings with 25 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	29	15	--
Great Lakes	25	20	-4.5
West Michigan	24	21	-5.5
Fort Wayne	23	22	-6.5
South Bend	21	24	-8.5
Lake County	18	26	-11.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	27	18	--
Clinton	24	21	-3.0
Beloit	20	25	-7.0
Wisconsin	19	26	-8.0
Cedar Rapids	18	27	-9.0
Peoria	18	27	-9.0

Playoff Race - 28 To Play

The Hawks are hanging around in the playoff race, hoping to get hot and make a run.

Here are the standings with 28 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	27	15	--
Great Lakes	23	19	-4.0
West Michigan	23	19	-4.0
Fort Wayne	22	20	-5.0
South Bend	19	23	-8.0
Lake County	18	24	-9.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	25	17	--
Clinton	22	20	-3.0
Beloit	19	23	-6.0
Cedar Rapids	17	25	-8.0
Wisconsin	17	25	-8.0
Peoria	17	25	-8.0

Playoff Race - 33 To Play

The Hawks have won five of their last seven and trying to make some noise in the playoff race. 

Here's the playoff chase with 33 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified in the East, while Quad Cities and Burlington made it in the West, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	23	14	--
Great Lakes	21	16	-2.0
West Michigan	20	17	-3.0
Fort Wayne	19	18	-4.0
Lake County	17	20	-6.0
South Bend	17	20	-6.0

Western Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Kane County	22	15	--
Clinton	19	18	-3.0
Beloit	17	20	-5.0
Cedar Rapids	16	21	-6.0
Wisconsin	15	22	-7.0
Peoria	13	24	-9.0

Playoff Race - 39 To Go

Did you realize that last night was game number 100?  Granted it should have been game 101, but with one rainout, last night was the 100th game played by the Silver Hawks.  That means there are 39 remaining in the regular season and it also means that these playoff race updates will become a bit more frequent on the blog. 

Without further ado, here's the playoff chase with 39 games to go in the second half.  Remember, Lansing and Bowling Green have already qualified, so they've been taken out of the mix.

Eastern Division (Top Two Make Playoffs)

Team	W	L	GB
Dayton	22	9	--
Great Lakes	18	13	-4.0
Fort Wayne	17	14	-5.0
West Michigan	16	14	-5.5
Lake County	13	18	-9.0
South Bend	13	18	-9.0

As you can see, it's time to start winning some more!